COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER
Before beginning any new exercise, nutrition or dietary supplement program you
should consult a physician first. The information presented herein is not meant to
treat or prevent any disease or to provide the reader with medical advice. If you
are looking for specific medical advice then you should obtain this information
from a licensed health-care practitioner.
This publication is intended for informational use only. Sean Nalewanyj and
www.SeanNal.com will not assume any liability or be held responsible for any
form of injury, personal loss or illness caused by the utilization of this
information. The individual results obtained from the use of this information will
vary from person to person and we make no guarantee as to the degree of results
that you will personally achieve.
This publication is fully copyrighted and does not come with giveaway or resale
rights. You may not sell or redistribute this report. It is reserved solely for
registered Body Transformation Blueprint members. Copyright and illegal
distribution violations will be prosecuted.
© www.SeanNal.com - All Rights Reserved
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Introduction
7
CHAPTER 2: GOAL SELECTION
Introduction
Bulking Vs. Cutting
Recompositioning
Estimating Body Fat %
Bulking & Cutting Phase Length
Realistic Muscle Growth Rate
Realistic Fat Loss Rate
13
14
16
19
24
26
30
CHAPTER 3: NUTRITION
Introduction
Calorie Intake
Protein
Fat
Carbohydrates
Water
Treat Foods
Alcohol
Meal Frequency & Timing
Nutritional Tracking
Eating Out
Course Correction
Consistency Tips
35
37
46
50
55
61
64
68
71
80
85
88
91
CHAPTER 4: WEIGHT TRAINING
Introduction
Progressive Overload
Volume/Frequency
Exercise Selection
Chest
Shoulders
99
102
112
118
121
124
Back
Arms
Abs
Thighs/Glutes
Calves
Program Variation
Rep Range & Execution
Rest Between Sets
Timing & Duration
Deloading
Injury Prevention
Training Layoffs
Proper Sleep
127
132
138
143
151
154
157
163
165
168
170
175
178
CHAPTER 5: CARDIO
Introduction
Cardio Pros And Cons
Frequency & Timing
Duration/Intensity
Exercise Selection
182
183
189
192
196
CHAPTER 6: SUPPLEMENTATION
Introduction
The Role Of Supplements
Supplement Industry Reality
Science-Based Recommendations
Protein Powder
Multivitamin
Fish Oil
Creatine
Pre-Workout
200
201
203
207
209
214
219
222
226
CHAPTER 7: PHASE TRANSITIONING
Introduction
Cutting To Bulking Transition
Bulking To Cutting Transition
Maintenance Transition
231
232
236
239
CHAPTER 8: PROGRESS TRACKING
Introduction
Tracking Bulking Progress
Tracking Cutting Progress
Ideal Measurement Goals
242
243
252
262
CHAPTER 9: CLOSING WORDS
Closing Words
266
INTRODUCTION
No hype. No nonsense.
Take your body from where it is now to exactly where you want it to be, as
effectively and efficiently as possible.
Welcome to The Body Transformation Blueprint. Your honest, definitive, stepby-step guide for building muscle, burning fat and maximizing your overall
health, strength and well-being.
With the endless flood of contradictory misinformation and marketing gimmicks
the fitness industry has become so overrun by these days, most aspiring trainees
have been left more confused than ever when it comes to achieving their health
and physique goals. Everywhere you look there’s the next fancy workout system,
fad diet or breakthrough supplement of the month, all claiming to have the
“proven secret” to rapid muscle growth and fat loss.
Basic hard work, patience and consistency have been overtaken by an endless
barrage of worthless “get-fit-quick” schemes, all created for no other purpose
than to line the pockets of the bodybuilding and weight loss marketers behind
them.
In fact, even those who genuinely are trying to put out useful training and
nutrition information often mislead their audiences without realizing it. The
Internet makes it easy for anyone to jump online and post any article or video
they want, regardless of how truthful or accurate it is. In reality, the majority of
so-called “online fitness gurus” are not legitimate experts and lack the knowledge
and experience necessary to provide you with the proper guidance.
At best, following this information leaves you with modest results while causing
you to waste a significant amount of unnecessary time, effort and money in the
process. At worst, you’re left with no results at all, possibly even at the expense of
your health and safety.
Bad information simply gets passed around from person to person like a
multiplying virus, with everyone repeating and regurgitating the same lies they've
been told. Unfortunately, this makes it damn near impossible for the average
fitness hopeful to know who to follow and who to trust.
Well, the good news is that it all ends here.
And it all starts here as well. The start of a brand new body, and a brand new life.
Today, we’re putting behind all the useless fluff and filler you’ve been fed on
every random website, YouTube video, forum and social media page out there,
and starting fresh.
7
No more worthless gimmicks, silly fads and blatant lies…
What you’re getting here is the real, no B.S truth about achieving your ideal
physique in a way that is effective, safe and sustainable over the long term.
You’re here right now because you’re motivated and ready to make a serious
change, and The Body Transformation Blueprint will equip you with all of the
tools and information you need to make it happen. The guidelines found within
this manual are based on the most up-to-date scientific research in the areas of
proper training, nutrition and supplementation, combined with over 15 years of
my own practical, real-world bodybuilding and fitness experience.
Since its release, this system has continually improved and evolved, and prides
itself on delivering a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow approach that anyone can
understand and implement successfully.
No matter how difficult or frustrating your fitness journey has potentially been
up until now, there is a proven, reliable, step-by-step method available to finally
get the results you’re after.
Contrary to what you may have been led to believe by every “expert” out there
trying to hawk the latest breakthrough workout or diet plan, getting into great
shape does not need to be an overly complicated process. It does require time,
effort and patience to get there, but the actual methods themselves are fairly
straightforward once you really understand how it all works.
You don’t need to dedicate multiple hours in the gym 5+ days a week to a highly
intricate, excessively complex workout routine…
You don’t need to slave away to a boring, tedious nutrition plan and deprive
yourself of entire food groups, macronutrients or the foods you love most…
You don’t need to spend boatloads of cash on expensive pills, powders and other
supplements…
And you don’t need to abandon your social life and hobbies or revolve every
waking hour around your fitness plan in order to make outstanding progress.
All it really takes is the ongoing application of a few key training, nutrition and
supplementation principles, all of which will eventually transform into simple,
routine habits once you get the hang of them.
The initial stages of your fitness program will certainly require some hard work
and discipline as you slowly learn the ropes and get things off the ground, but
once you’ve built that initial momentum, it’s just a matter of basic consistency
from there on out.
8
If you’re still a complete beginner at this, you might look at the length of this
manual and feel a bit overwhelmed. If building muscle and burning fat is in fact a
relatively simple process, why is there so much information included here?
Well, unlike most other programs out there that simply tell you what to do
without any real reasoning behind it, the goal here is to provide a full explanation
of both what to do and why you’re doing it. Rather than just handing you some
random workout plan and diet and saying “go do this”, I’m going to equip you
with a complete understanding of how the muscle building and fat loss process
truly works from the ground up.
This is not just another “12 week program” to be blindly followed before hopping
over to another program, and then another. The Body Transformation Blueprint
will lay out all of the information necessary so that you yourself will know how to
structure a proper training and nutrition plan on your own without needing to
constantly rely on others moving forward. It’s the difference between merely
handing you fish and teaching you how to fish.
Remember, building a great physique is not some sort of “quick fix” or overnight
process – it’s an ongoing lifestyle that you’ll be adopting for many years to come.
Spending a simple week or two digesting the information in this manual is a very
small time investment in exchange for a highly valuable set of skills you’ll be
potentially applying for the rest of your life.
You’re literally getting all of the most important principles I’ve learned in over 15
years of dedicated research and firsthand experience, all condensed into a simple,
structured format that you can absorb in just a tiny fraction of that time. This will
put you lightyears ahead of the game in comparison to the average person out
there and will hugely increase your chances for success both in the short and long
term.
(As a side note, for those who are very eager to begin and would rather just get
started on the actual program straight away, a “Quick-Start Guide” is available
in the member’s area for this purpose. That guide includes all of the concrete,
“actionable” training, nutrition and supplementation guidelines in one place
without all of the additional information and detailed explanations behind
them. However, if you do choose to go that route, I would still strongly
recommend that you make your way through this manual over the coming days
and weeks regardless, as it will put you in a much better position to fully
maximize your results in the overall picture.)
We’ll start off by discussing proper goal selection and show you how to accurately
determine whether you should bulk, cut or recomposition first. You’ll learn how
long each phase should last along with realistic rates of progress you can expect
to achieve based on various scenarios.
9
From there, we’ll move into the “meat and potatoes” of the course by going over
all of the concrete principles behind proper weight training, cardio, nutrition and
supplementation. You’ll know exactly what to do both in the gym and the kitchen
to maximize your results, whether your primary goal is to bulk up and gain
muscle, lean down and lose fat, or potentially do both at the same time.
The chapters that follow will outline the most reliable ways of tracking your
progress from week to week and month to month, as well as how to properly
transition between bulking, cutting and maintenance cycles as your goals shift
over time.
This manual isn’t just about teaching the concrete mechanics either. I’ll also be
giving some useful tips for combining your fitness program with an overall
balanced lifestyle, as well as discussing a bit of the psychological side by sharing
some important mindset shifts you can adopt for the very best results.
All of the information included will be presented using a balanced mix of both
science and practicality. I’ll explain what to do along with evidence-based
reasoning for each principle, but without getting overly bogged down in excessive
details. This is not intended to be a biology textbook, and my aim here is to teach
you only what you need to know without unnecessarily overcomplicating things.
Once you’ve made your way through this manual, you can then move on to the
structured workout system, meal plans and supplement guide included with the
program, as these lay out the precise steps to take in a sequenced, step-by-step
format.
From there, it all just comes down to basic execution on your part. As long as you
follow everything as outlined and remain consistent from week to week, this
program absolutely will work for you and will take you to your goal physique if
you’re willing to stick with it.
The guidelines given are based on the proven, research-backed science of gaining
muscle and losing fat and have been used successfully by countless thousands of
people from all around the world and from all walks of life.
The only way this won’t produce the results you’re after is if you don’t put it into
action. You can have all the knowledge and understanding in the world, but what
really matters is what you do with it.
So, let’s truly make it count this time. You wouldn’t be here right now if this
wasn’t something you deeply desired and were serious about achieving. And now,
the only thing you have to do is take the information given, consistently apply it,
and the results are yours. Guaranteed.
What could be simpler than that?
10
Don’t let this opportunity pass you by – this here is the critical turning point in
your fitness journey and your life as a whole where that lean, muscular, headturning body you’ve always wanted becomes a reality. You’re about to learn
exactly what you need to do both in and out of the gym to make it happen, and all
you have to do is do it.
Let’s get started.
11
12
INTRODUCTION
The first critical decision you’ll need to make on your body transformation
journey is in determining what your initial starting aim will be. Should you focus
on gaining overall muscle mass with a bulking phase? Should you lean down first
with a cutting phase? Or should you attempt to “recomposition” by doing both at
the same time?
This is something that many trainees get confused by right off the bat and end up
sabotaging their results before they even begin. Bulking when you really should
be cutting - or vice versa - will put you on an inefficient path from the start and
significantly prolong the time needed to reach your ultimate physique goals.
Even worse, it could potentially leave you more out of shape than you were to
begin with, causing you to lose motivation and quit altogether after just a few
weeks or months when things don’t go as you had hoped.
In this section, we’ll make sure you’re starting out with the proper plan of attack
and maximize your chances for success by showing you exactly how to determine
what your first primary goal should be. We’ll discuss the differences between
bulking, cutting and recompositioning, how long each phase should last, as well
as realistic progress rates you can expect when it comes to muscle growth, fat loss
and general physique transformation.
Let’s begin.
13
BULKING VS. CUTTING
Should you bulk or cut first? This is the million-dollar question that every
beginner wants to know, and it’s very important that we answer it correctly in
order to set you up for the most positive and efficient long-term results.
Although it is possible to “recomposition” by losing fat and gaining muscle at the
same time if the conditions are right (we’ll talk about this shortly), you’ll still
want to direct your primary focus onto one main goal and prioritize it for a set
period. This means either eating in a calorie surplus to maximize muscle growth
(consuming more calories than you burn), or eating in a calorie deficit to lose
body fat (burning more calories than you consume).
The single most important factor in determining which route to take is your
current body fat percentage. Always keep in mind that any time you eat in a
calorie surplus to build new muscle, you’re always going to gain some extra body
fat along with it. It’s impossible to divert 100% of your calorie intake toward
muscle growth only, and although you can minimize fat gains by having the
proper training and nutrition techniques in place, it’s inevitable that you’ll still
gain some throughout the bulking process regardless.
For that reason, most trainees will be best off to commit to a focused muscle
gaining phase only if they’re sufficiently lean enough to do so first. Jumping
straight into a bulk from too high a body fat level is one of the most common
mistakes novice lifters make, potentially throwing their entire program off course
right out of the gate.
Continue adding more and more fat on top of an already high body fat
percentage, and there’s a very good chance that you’ll quickly become
discouraged with how you look and feel as your bulk progresses. Although many
beginners will claim that they “don’t care” about gaining fat as long as they’re
building muscle along with it, they usually feel quite differently about it once they
actually see the fat beginning to accumulate firsthand.
14
From there, they often feel “stuck” and are unsure of how to proceed. They don’t
want to bulk any further and risk additional fat gain, but since they had only
gained a very small amount of actual muscle during their brief bulking phase,
switching over to a cut doesn’t seem very appealing either.
This causes many trainees to become demotivated and fall off course, often
leading to a constant back and forth “yo-yo” approach between bulking and
cutting that ultimately leads nowhere. They bulk for a short time but then feel
excessively fat, and then cut for a short time (but without leaning down far
enough) before going right back to bulking. The cycle goes on and on, and after
several months (or even years) they’ve failed to make any appreciable progress in
either direction.
Bottom line?
If you’re currently above approximately 12-14% body fat as a male or 19-21% as a
female, it is highly recommended that you place your initial efforts on fat loss
first before transitioning into a focused muscle building phase. (We’ll discuss how
to estimate your body fat percentage shortly)
Although bulking from a slightly higher body fat level is not inherently “wrong” if
one goes about it carefully and is aware of the potential consequences, it isn’t
advised in the vast majority of cases, especially for beginners. Getting down to
these recommended body fat ranges first will allow you to stay relatively lean
throughout your entire bulking cycle, keeping your motivation levels high and
putting you in a much better position for healthy, sustainable long term progress.
You’ll also obtain the benefits of increased testosterone levels (the most
important muscle building hormone in the body) and improved insulin
sensitivity (this maximizes the percentage of calories that are diverted to your
muscle cells as opposed to fat tissue), both of which tend to decrease the higher
your body percentage climbs. These two direct physical benefits will further assist
you in adding lean mass while warding off fat gains during your bulk.
Of course, if your primary goal is to gain muscle and you’re already sitting
somewhere around the 12-14%/19-21% level or lower, you can go straight into a
bulking phase and eat in a calorie surplus to start with.
15
RECOMPOSITIONING
You now know how to determine where your primary initial focus should be and
why, whether it’s maintaining a calorie deficit for fat loss or a calorie surplus for
muscle growth. However, the issue of “bulking” and “cutting” is not quite that cut
and dry, since under the right conditions, certain individuals will be able to
recomposition (“recomp” for short) by gaining some muscle even while eating in
a calorie deficit.
Fat is a stored form of energy, and the body can break down and utilize that
energy to fuel the muscle building process, allowing for a simultaneous increase
in lean mass and decrease in body fat. You won’t gain as much muscle in a deficit
as you would with a straight calorie surplus, but it can still occur to a significant
degree nonetheless. (Keep in mind that you’ll never recomposition while eating in
a surplus. A surplus will always result in both muscle gain and some fat gain.)
There are three main factors that will influence your ability to recomp, the first
being your level of training experience. The newer you are to weight training and
the less muscle you’ve built in total, the more successfully you’ll be able to
recomposition. This is because heavy resistance training will still be a novel
stimulus for your body, causing it to react much more responsively in terms of
overall muscle growth. As you gain more lean mass and become more advanced
over time, your ability to put on additional muscle will gradually decrease,
especially while in a calorie deficit.
The second factor to consider is your body fat percentage. The more body fat
you’re carrying, the more effectively you’ll be able to recomp since you’ll have a
higher amount of “stored fuel” available to support muscle growth. As you get
progressively leaner, your body will begin fighting harder to hold onto its
remaining fat stores (a certain amount of body fat is necessary for basic health
purposes), making the recomposition process much more difficult (if not
impossible) at that point.
The third factor at play is genetics. The reality is that genetics do play a
significant role when it comes to gaining muscle (we’ll talk about this in more
detail shortly), and this will influence just how much lean mass any given person
can gain while in a deficit.
Putting this information together, those who will be able to recomposition with
the highest degree of success will be overweight beginners, particularly those with
above average muscle building genetics. However, any beginner carrying at least
moderate excess fat or anyone who is significantly overweight (regardless of
experience level) should be able to recomp to a reasonable degree as well
assuming they possess at least average genetics.
16
Another situation where recomposition will occur quite easily is in those
returning from an extended training layoff. In this case, losing body fat while
simultaneously re-gaining lost muscle will be fairly easy to achieve due to the
benefits of “muscle memory”, a topic that will be addressed more closely in a later
chapter.
Those who will be least likely to recomposition are intermediate and advanced
lifters who have already built up a strong muscular foundation, especially if
they’re within a low to moderate body fat range. In fact, those trying to cut to
significantly low levels of body fat (below about 10% for men and 17% for women)
will generally experience the opposite effect and begin losing muscle mass and
strength the further and further they lean down.
In any case, the key takeaway here is that even if your current body fat does fall
above the recommended 12-14%/19-21% figures and you need to start out with a
cutting phase first, you should still be able to gain some lean mass throughout the
process if you’re still a novice lifter and/or are carrying a significant amount of
excess fat.
This is why those with the common “skinny fat” body type are also best off to
start in a calorie deficit despite the fact that they have low levels of muscular
development to begin with. People with this build are often confused on how to
structure their initial approach, since they don’t want to carry out a cutting phase
and end up looking overly thin, yet also don’t want to bulk and put on additional
body fat. However, since a skinny fat individual is likely to be a beginning lifter
and is also carrying excess body fat, they should be able to recomposition
successfully and gain some additional muscle as they lean down.
In addition, it’s important to keep in mind that losing fat is a much faster process
than gaining muscle is. We’ll get into the specific figures shortly, but as an
estimation, you’ll generally be able to burn fat about 2-4 times faster on a pound
for pound basis than you can build muscle. Packing on significant muscle mass is
a much longer road for the average natural trainee, whereas with the proper
training and diet in place, fat loss can happen relatively quickly from week to
week.
For that reason, if you have excess fat to lose right now, getting rid of it right from
the start is typically the smarter approach, especially considering that those with
a typical skinny fat build won’t have a huge amount of fat to lose in the first place.
A properly structured cutting cycle will produce a marked improvement in your
appearance within just a matter of weeks, giving you more confidence and
motivation as you move forward through the process and eventually into your
bulk.
It’s also important to think in terms of the bigger picture and recognize that even
if a cutting phase did cause you to appear a bit thinner than you’d ultimately like,
17
this is just a temporary phase on the way to your ideal physique. Building a
standout body is a long-term project rather than a quick fix, and you may simply
need to make certain sacrifices in the short term if this is something you’re truly
serious about. Having a thin/lean build with some visible muscle definition is still
an improvement over a thin/flabby build anyway, so you’ll still be progressing in
a positive direction regardless.
18
ESTIMATING BODY FAT %
We’ve now established that if you currently exceed approximately 12-14% body
fat as a male or 19-21% body fat as a female, your first priority should be to lose
fat with a calorie deficit. If you’re at or below these figures already and are
aiming to build additional muscle size and strength, you can go straight into a
bulking phase to begin with.
Sounds fairly straightforward, but how do you determine exactly what your
current body fat percentage is?
Well, the reality is that unless you were somehow able to dissect your entire body
and precisely weigh every gram of fat, muscle, bone, water and other tissue,
there’s actually no way of calculating your precise body fat percentage down to
the absolute figure.
No method of testing body fat is 100% accurate, and even a DEXA scan (typically
considered as the “gold standard” measurement) can still be off by 1-2% or more.
Other methods such as body fat calipers, scales, handheld devices or online
calculators are often highly inaccurate, easily in excess of 5% give or take. If
you’re able to obtain a consistent reading with these methods then they can still
be useful for tracking your relative progress from week to week, but they can’t be
relied upon for determining what your actual objective body fat percentage is at
any given time.
In addition, since body fat percentage readings refer to the amount of fat you’re
carrying relative to your lean body mass – and since lean body mass is simply any
form of body weight that is not fat – your hydration status, food volume in the
stomach and intestines, levels of glycogen storage and other factors will all
influence the final number to a certain degree at any given time.
This is why whenever someone tries to quote you their precise body fat
percentage by claiming that they’re 7%, 10%, or whatever else, always take it with
a grain of salt. No one really knows for sure what their true percentage is, and
most people tend to believe they’re much leaner than they really are.
On top of this, the same body fat percentage can also appear quite differently
from person to person depending on a variety of individual factors. This includes
things such as their levels of muscle mass, vascularity, body fat distribution,
subcutaneous water retention and more. One person may appear quite lean and
defined at 14% body fat, while another person at the same percentage might not
look nearly as impressive.
For these reasons, all body fat readings should simply be treated as rough
estimates and are merely to be used as “educated guesses” to help you decide on
the proper course of action, whether it’s to bulk, cut or maintain. When we talk
19
about “12-14% body fat” for men and “19-21% body fat” for women, this is simply
a ballpark figure that we’re using to describe an approximate level of overall
conditioning.
Being somewhere in those ranges would mean that your entire body is relatively
lean without any obvious excess fat, but not to the point of being “ripped” or
“shredded”. At this body fat percentage, your stomach would be mostly flat and
your abs would be visible when flexing under good lighting. You wouldn’t
necessarily have a full blown six pack, but in most cases you should at least see
the outline of a “4 pack” with perhaps a small bit of lower ab fat still remaining.
(Keep in mind that since women carry more total body fat in general than men,
the abs won’t necessarily be visible at the 19-21% level in every case. However,
even if no clear ab definition can be seen, the stomach itself should still be fairly
firm and flat as a whole.)
If you have an extra $100-$150 to spend and want to be as accurate as possible
with this, booking an appointment for a DEXA scan is one option you can go
with. Although it isn’t perfect, DEXA has the smallest margin for error of any
body fat testing method available and is accurate enough to be used as guiding
tool for your bulking and cutting cycles. You simply lie on an x-ray table for about
10 minutes, and the machine takes a full dual x-ray to assess your body
composition.
However, since getting a DEXA scan won’t be practical for most people (nor is it
necessary in most cases), simply “eye balling” your physique and comparing it to
others at various body fat percentages will usually suffice. Remember, you don’t
need to be 100% dead on with this; you just need to ensure that you’re accurate
enough to know when either bulking or cutting is most appropriate.
Here are a few examples of male physiques ranging from very low “ripped” body
fat percentages up to those in the overweight category…
20
Here are a few examples of female physiques showing the same thing…
21
These are some more shots of what a “bulk worthy” male physique somewhere in
the 12-14% range would look like, including examples of those with higher or
lower levels of overall muscle mass…
22
And here are some more examples of female physiques approximately in the 1921% range…
If your current physique looks similar in terms of overall leanness to the pictures
above, then your body fat is probably low enough to where starting out with a
lean bulk would be appropriate if your goal is to add more muscle size to your
frame. If your body fat levels are clearly higher than this, then you’ll want to
begin with a cutting phase until you’ve achieved similar conditioning, also
keeping in mind that you can likely recomposition to a certain degree as well if
you’re still a beginner.
For those who seem to be somewhere right on the borderline with no clear visible
muscle definition but only a very small amount of excess fat (a very difficult body
type to accurately estimate body fat percentage for), both bulking or cutting
would likely be acceptable and you can simply make the decision based on what's
more important to you. If you’re mainly concerned with adding more mass to
your frame and are truly okay with the idea of gaining some extra fat during the
process (the key word there being “truly”), then you can go that route to start. Or,
if you find the small bit of excess fat you’re carrying to be bothersome and you’d
rather do a quick cut to get rid of it first before bulking, that’s fine too.
Neither approach is inherently right or wrong in this scenario, and the best
option is likely going to be whichever one maximizes your motivation going
forward and increases the chances that you’ll stick with your program over the
long term.
23
BULKING & CUTTING PHASE LENGTH
You now have your primary goal selected and know whether you should be
starting your program out with a bulking phase or a cutting phase. Great, but how
long should each of these phases last? How long should you continue bulking
before switching to a cut, and vice versa?
Although you’ll often hear set time frames for this such as “bulk for 12 weeks and
then cut for 4 weeks” or “cut for 4 months and then bulk for 2 months”, the truth
is that there is no single set time for a bulking or cutting phase. How long you’ll
spend in each cycle before transitioning to the other completely depends on
where you’re starting out from and what your personal physique goals are.
For example, an overweight trainee with 80 pounds of excess fat to lose will
obviously be cutting for a much longer period of time than someone with a
“skinny fat” build who just needs to drop a quick 10 pounds. Similarly, someone
who is naturally thin and wants to achieve a bodybuilder-like physique will need
to bulk for much longer than someone with an average build who just wants to
gain a moderate amount of muscle and achieve a more athletic look.
Many different factors will come into play that affect just how quickly or slowly
you’ll progress and exactly how much time is needed in each phase, so you’ll
usually have to take it week by week and assess things as you go. You can roughly
estimate how long your bulking and cutting cycles will last by comparing your
current physique to the progress rates I’ll be covering in the next section, but
these will only be approximate figures.
For these reasons, we won’t be applying concrete time frames from the outset.
Instead, you’ll simply continue with whatever phase you’re in until you reach a
point where switching gears becomes appropriate.
If you’re starting out with a cutting phase, this simply means continuing to lean
down until you reach the recommended body fat figures of approximately 12-14%
for men or 19-21% for women. Going slightly lower than this is fine if you’re
wanting to get a bit leaner based on personal preference (or if you’re temporarily
cutting down for a particular event such as a photoshoot, vacation etc.) but the
upper end of those ranges would be the minimum figures to hit before your
cutting phase can be considered complete.
Small diet breaks can be inserted throughout the process if necessary (more on
this later), but at no point should you be “shifting into a bulk” and switching to a
calorie surplus until you’ve leaned down to those recommended figures.
If you’re starting out with a bulking phase, the length of time you’ll spend eating
in a calorie surplus and focusing on muscle growth will primarily depend on how
much fat you’ve accumulated throughout the process. Remember that a certain
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amount of fat gain is inevitable any time you’re trying to maximize muscle growth
(though it can be minimized by following the specific training and nutrition
principles we’ll be discussing), and periodic cutting phases can be utilized to
bring those levels down if they reach an excessive point.
How high is too high in terms of body fat?
There is an element of personal preference at play here, since some people will be
more comfortable carrying a bit more fat than others depending on whether they
value more size over less definition or vice versa. As a maximum “cap” though, I
wouldn’t recommend bulking past roughly 18-20% for men or 25%-27% for
women in most cases.
Allowing your body fat to climb excessively high during a bulk is virtually never a
good idea (we’ll cover the topic of “lean bulking” vs. “dirty bulking” in the
nutrition section), and if you’ve reached that upper body fat limit, you’ll want to
transition into a deficit and strip off the excess fat before going back to bulking
again.
If you’d prefer to stay on the leaner side throughout the entire bulking process,
another option is to insert shorter “mini cuts” into the mix once your body fat
gets a bit higher than you’d like. For example, rather than bulking from 12% all
the way up to 19% and then performing a longer cutting phase to get back down
again, you could instead bulk to, say, 16%, perform a brief mini cut back to 12%,
and continue the cycle.
Either of these approaches is acceptable as long as you’re giving yourself
adequate time to properly bulk and to put on quality muscle before switching to a
fat loss phase. Those who constantly switch back and forth between a surplus and
deficit over very short time frames often end up spinning their wheels and
reducing their overall progress in the bigger picture. In order to create an
anabolic environment that optimally supports muscle hypertrophy and strength
gains, you should ideally commit to at least 8-12 weeks of focused bulking as a
minimum before switching into fat loss mode.
Of course, the other potential “end point” for a bulking or cutting phase is if
you’ve achieved your goal physique and are satisfied with your current condition.
At that point you can transition into a maintenance plan, which is a topic we’ll
discuss in a later chapter.
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REALISTIC MUSCLE GROWTH RATE
At this point, you have the basic groundwork in place in terms of starting goal
selection and bulking/cutting phase targets. Before we get into the actual
training, nutrition and supplementation principles you’ll be using to carry this
out, you’re probably wondering just how long this whole process is going to take.
What is a realistic rate of muscle growth and fat loss
to expect from week to week, month to month and
year to year, and just how lean and muscular can the
average natural trainee ultimately get?
You’ll be hearing this quite a bit throughout the
manual, but the short answer is “it depends”. This is
because the specific results any given person can
achieve will be influenced by many different factors,
such as genetics, age, gender, experience level and
program adherence. That said, there are approximate figures we can assign that
will land pretty close on average and that can be used as rough general guidelines
to go by.
Let’s talk about muscle growth first. Despite how it’s usually portrayed in overhyped advertisements for bodybuilding “miracle” products, the simple fact is that
building muscle is a relatively slow and gradual process for the average natural
lifter. Over the course of several months or more those gains will accumulate and
add up to a significant amount, but the changes you’ll experience during any
individual week or two will be quite minor. Head-turning body transformations
don’t happen over night, and it requires time, patience and consistent effort over
the long term to truly pack on a significant amount of lean mass.
Assuming you’re following a proper training and nutrition program and are
implementing it consistently, a standard rate of lean body weight gain for a
beginner would be approximately half a pound per week during the first year of
lifting, or about two pounds per month. This takes into account both your gains
in actual dry muscle mass as well as the additional increases in water weight,
muscle glycogen and body fat that come with a focused bulking phase. This may
not sound like a lot, but extrapolate it over a 6-12 month period and you can see
that the outlook is still quite positive over the longer term.
Those with above average genetics may be able to achieve gains at a slightly faster
pace than this, but three pounds total per month should be considered the
maximum upper limit regardless of the individual. If you’re gaining any more
than this then you’re likely over-eating and are putting on a disproportionate
amount of body fat relative to lean muscle. For most trainees in most situations,
roughly two pounds per month is what you should be aiming for.
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These are the figures that a complete beginner with no prior weight training
experience should expect (or those who do have previous experience but weren’t
following a proper program and/or weren’t consistent with it), but it’s also
important to understand that building muscle is not a linear process. In other
words, the longer you’ve been consistently training and the more total muscle
you’ve gained, the more your rate of growth will naturally slow down.
When you first start out in the gym you’ll make your “newbie gains” relatively
quickly since weight training will be a new stimulus for your body and you won’t
be carrying a lot of muscle to begin with. In fact, a beginning lifter who does
everything correctly should be able to achieve roughly 50% of their total genetic
muscle building potential in the first year of training alone.
After that initial period is over and your body is holding on to a larger amount of
muscle and has become more accustomed to the training stressors, the process
will naturally decelerate. Muscle is metabolically “expensive” tissue that requires
a large amount of energy and resources to build and maintain, and your body has
genetic limits in place to prevent you from gaining too much.
If muscle growth were perfectly linear and it were possible to gain, say, 20
pounds of lean mass for every single year of training, a person with 10 years of
lifting experience would be walking around with 200 pounds of extra muscle
mass on their frame – quite obviously an unrealistic expectation.
As a general guideline, you should expect your rate of muscle growth to decrease
by roughly 50% for every year of consistent proper training you have under your
belt. In other words, out of 100% of your ultimate genetic potential, this is what
you might expect to achieve from year to year:
Year 1: 50% of genetic potential
Year 2: 75% of genetic potential
Year 3: 85-90% of genetic potential
After 4-5 years of training and beyond you’d be right up near your natural limit,
and although you’d still be able to make additional progress with continued
effort, the level of diminishing returns would be very steep. At that point it would
likely require multiple years of hard training and proper nutrition just to gain a
few pounds of additional muscle.
For men with average genetics, a reasonable lifetime goal would be to gain
somewhere around 30 pounds of total lean muscle mass. Those with slightly
below average or slightly above average genetics might be looking at around 20 or
40 pounds respectively.
There will also be a small percentage of “genetic outliers” who will fall on the
more extreme ends of the spectrum. This includes those with particularly poor
muscle building genetics who may only be able to gain 10 pounds of muscle or
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less regardless of how perfect their program is, as well as those with exceptionally
good muscle building genetics who may be able to gain upwards of 50 pounds or
more even on a sub-optimal plan. However, this will only make up a very small
minority of the population, with most typical natural lifters falling somewhere
within that 20-40 pound range.
Also keep in mind that this figure is referring specifically to actual dry muscle
mass as opposed to total body weight. If you feel comfortable sitting at a higher
body fat level and carrying some additional water weight in order to achieve a
fuller/thicker type of appearance, your total body weight itself can certainly
increase by more than this amount. It really just depends on your personal goals
and what sort of physique you’re aiming for.
There are three main factors that will influence your individual rate of muscle
growth and overall muscle building potential, the first one being genetics.
Regardless of what anyone tells you, individual genetic makeup does play a very
significant role in the muscle building process just as it does in most other areas
of life. Some people will simply have an easier or harder time building muscle
than others, and this is affected by various factors such as muscle fiber type,
testosterone levels, growth hormone levels, insulin sensitivity, myostatin levels,
individual recovery ability and more. The vast majority of people out there can
build a significant amount of muscle given enough time and effort on a properly
structured plan, but your individual genetics will no doubt influence just how
much muscle you’re ultimately capable of building as well as how quickly you can
build it.
The second factor to take into account is bone structure. As a general rule, those
who are larger framed will be able to carry more muscle mass in total than those
who are smaller framed. However, also keep in mind that different amounts of
muscle can appear very differently from an aesthetic perspective depending on an
individual’s unique body type. Height, limb length, muscle shape and muscle
insertion points all play a big role in determining exactly how your newly built
muscle mass will actually look, so this isn’t necessarily a positive or negative
thing.
For example, a lifter who is 5’4 with a smaller bone structure will still usually
appear quite strong and muscular even if his lifetime muscle building potential is
only 15-20 pounds in total. On the other hand, those same 15-20 pounds may not
look nearly as impressive on someone who is 6’4 with longer limbs, and that lifter
would need to gain more total mass in order to achieve an equally muscular look.
So, even though a larger framed individual may be capable of building more
muscle as a whole, they’ll also require more mass in order to appear equally as
muscular as someone who is smaller framed.
The third factor is age. Those in their late teens and twenties will naturally have
the fastest muscle growth rate out of anyone since testosterone levels will be at
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their highest level during that time. Testosterone plays a central role in the
muscle building process, and if you’re still in your early teens or are in the 4050+ range, you can expect to progress at a slower pace that continues to decrease
the older you get.
The final factor to take into account is gender. Since women have significantly
lower testosterone levels than men, this also impacts how quickly they can gain
muscle as well as how much muscle they can ultimately carry. As a rough
guideline, women can take the specific muscle building figures given above and
reduce them by about half. This would mean a total lean weight gain of about 1
pound per month on average, with a lifetime muscle building goal of roughly 15
pounds of total additional mass give or take.
However, since women tend to be smaller framed than men on average and are
typically not aiming for an overly muscular “bodybuilder” type of physique, this
isn’t necessarily a downside since they won’t need to gain as much total muscle to
reach their desired look in the first place. Even though females technically will
build muscle at a slower rate than men, their relative progress in terms of A to B
physique transformation will still fall into a similar range.
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REALISTIC FAT LOSS RATE
That covers the muscle building side of the equation, but what should you expect
when it comes to burning fat? How much fat can you lose from week to week, and
just how lean of a body fat percentage can you realistically achieve and maintain
on a year-round basis?
For starters, you can expect to progress at a much
faster pace with fat loss in comparison to building
muscle. While half a pound of weight gain per week
would be a standard rate of progress for a muscle
building beginner, fat loss trainees can reliably drop
between 1-2 pounds per week with the right training
plan and diet in place regardless of their experience
level. This takes into account both decreases in
actual fat mass as well as the losses in water weight
and glycogen storage you’ll experience.
You may lose weight at a faster pace of up to 3-4 pounds per week in the first
week or two as your body flushes out excess water retention from the reduced
calories, but it should stabilize at around 1-2 pounds per week after that.
Whether you land on the lower or higher end of that 1-2 pound per week range
depends on three main factors, the first being your current body fat percentage.
The more excess fat you’re carrying, the more readily and easily your body will be
willing to liberate that stored fat for energy and the faster you’ll lose body weight
overall. In fact, those who are significantly overweight can often lose fat at an
even faster pace of around 3 pounds per week, at least in the beginning stages of
their program.
As you become leaner and leaner over time, the rate of fat loss naturally slows
down. This is because a certain amount of fat is required for proper health and
functioning, and the body will begin making hormonal adjustments in an attempt
to conserve the remaining amount. As a general guideline, fat loss will typically
be fairly “smooth sailing” until a body fat percentage somewhere around the midteens for men and low twenties for women is reached. At that point you’ll need to
tighten your training and nutrition up a lot more closely to continue burning fat
at a significant rate, with each percentage point becoming increasingly difficult to
lose as you lean down further.
The second factor affecting your rate of fat loss is the size of your calorie deficit.
In order to lose fat, you need to burn more calories than you consume. This is
achieved by lowering your calorie intake and (typically, though not always) by
increasing your activity level. The lower you set your calorie intake and/or the
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more physical activity you perform, the larger your calorie deficit will be and the
faster you’ll lose fat.
A moderate sized deficit is usually best for most trainees since it’s much more
realistic to sustain, but using more aggressive deficits in the short term is also a
viable strategy for more advanced dieters who want to speed the process up a bit.
We’ll talk more about this in the nutrition section, but for now, just know that a
larger calorie deficit will allow you to lose fat faster but will be more difficult to
maintain, and vice versa.
The third factor at play is genetics. Just like with building muscle, some people
simply have an easier time getting lean and staying lean due to hormonal
differences that make the process a bit smoother. There’s really no use in getting
hung up on this side of the equation though, since genetic factors are beyond our
control and can’t be changed anyway. Unless an individual has a legitimate
medical condition that significantly impairs their ability to lose fat, virtually
anyone can safely and efficiently get down to a lean body fat percentage and
maintain it indefinitely with the right approach in place.
That brings us to the next question: just how lean of a body fat percentage can
you realistically achieve and maintain over the long term?
With the endless images of ripped fitness models and physique competitors we
constantly see on magazine covers and social media platforms, many people have
been left with unrealistic expectations about the type of shape an average natural
trainee should expect to achieve as a year-round condition. The reality is that the
vast majority of people do not (and cannot) maintain very low body fat levels with
“shredded abs” on a permanent ongoing basis. Unless you’re an extreme genetic
outlier or are using performance enhancing drugs, there are certain limits as to
just how lean you can get before unwanted physical and mental side effects begin
to kick in.
Remember, the human body requires a certain amount of body fat for optimal
functioning, and when you overly restrict your calorie intake in order to reach
those very low levels, it will quickly begin fighting back. You’ll start to experience
greater and greater levels of hunger and preoccupation with food, decreased
energy levels and training performance, impaired mood and concentration,
lowered levels of motivation, and decreased testosterone levels and libido among
other things. These effects will continue to amplify the leaner and leaner you get.
Ask any competitive bodybuilder or physique athlete and they’ll tell you that this
is all just par for the course once they pass a certain body fat threshold and begin
reaching stage condition. It can be maintained for a temporary period of time,
but not permanently.
So, how lean is too lean?
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While keeping in mind that body fat readings are just rough estimates rather than
absolute figures, most men will be best to not drop any lower than about 10%
body fat, with 17% body fat being the minimum for women. Temporarily leaning
down further than this is acceptable over the short term, but when it comes to
general year-round condition, those are the approximate “cut off points” to not
exceed.
Keep in mind as well that these are the minimum recommended figures.
Although everyone is a bit different, most people will feel their very best both
physically and mentally by going slightly higher. The previously outlined ranges
of 12-14% body fat for men and 19-21% body fat for women will usually strike a
good middle ground between overall leanness and muscularity while keeping
your health and performance fully optimized. Where you specifically land within
that range just depends on your preferred look and how you personally feel at
different body fat levels.
These numbers might sound a bit high if you’ve been misled into thinking that 68% body fat is somehow a “normal” condition that everyone can reach, but it just
doesn’t work that way in reality. Most people hugely underestimate their true
body fat percentage, and unless they’ve had a proper DEXA scan (which is still
susceptible to a certain margin for error), you can usually bet that the number
they’re quoting you is not accurate. The truth is that a legitimate 12% body fat for
a male or 19% body fat for a female is actually quite lean. Pair that level of
conditioning up with some decent muscular development and you’ll usually be
left with quite an impressive looking physique.
Also keep in mind that most of the pictures you see on social media platforms like
Instagram and Facebook are rarely representative of a person’s typical everyday
appearance. Instead, they’re usually “optimized” by using the very best angles,
lighting and filters, all of which make a significant difference to the final endproduct. The person in the photo may also be in a condition they’ve temporarily
dieted down for, and in many cases, the “natural” bodybuilders and fitness
models you see are not being fully honest in that department either.
This could be a topic for a whole other discussion, but the bottom line is to not
believe everything you see online or in magazines. Just because someone looks
very lean and ripped in a particular photo does not mean they look that way in
real life or that they maintain that condition all the time.
You can certainly achieve a lean and muscular body with impressive cuts,
definition and visible abs, but no one is “shredded” year-round unless they’re a
genetic outlier or on drugs. All in all, somewhere around 10-14% body fat for men
and 17-21% for women is realistic, with the mid to upper end of those ranges
usually being ideal.
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If you’d rather go for a “fuller” appearance at the expense of a bit more body fat,
maintaining a body fat percentage even higher than this range is also fine. As
long as you’re remaining at what would be considered a “healthy” body fat level
(at or below about 20% for men and 27% for women), the rest just comes down to
personal preference. Some trainees are going for the leaner and more “aesthetic”
look, while others want the bigger/bulkier appearance of a bodybuilder or
powerlifter. It’s an entirely subjective thing, and only you can decide what’s best
for you.
Regardless of which type of physique you might be aiming for, it’s now time to
begin covering the actual step by step guidelines you’ll need to follow in order to
achieve it. Proper nutrition is the subject we’ll be covering first and foremost,
since it’s the main area where most fitness hopefuls tend to make their most
critical mistakes.
Let’s begin.
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34
INTRODUCTION
While a solid training plan may only require as little as 3-5 hours of your time per
week, eating for consistent muscle growth and fat loss is something you’ll need to
do correctly on an ongoing basis throughout each day. Eat the wrong number of
total calories, use an unbalanced macronutrient breakdown, or structure your
diet in a way that isn’t sustainable over time, and there’s a very good chance that
you won’t end up getting the results you’re after, if any at all.
In some situations (such as in the case of overly aggressive high calorie bulking) it
can even be flat-out counterproductive to your physique and take you in the
opposite direction of what you were aiming for. The famous quote says that “you
can’t out-train a bad diet”, and by in large that’s a pretty accurate assessment.
But while it is true that the nutritional side of things is where most people tend to
go the furthest off course, the reality is that it’s actually a fairly straightforward
process when you break it all down piece by piece.
In fact, the primary reason why the majority of trainees get their eating plan
wrong and eventually end up abandoning it is precisely because they make it way
more complicated and difficult than it really needs to be. They attempt to follow
some excessively detailed, unnecessarily restrictive dieting approach that by its
very nature could never be sustained long term, and inevitably end up burning
out and quitting after just a few weeks or months.
The truth is that meeting your daily nutritional needs to build muscle, lose fat
and optimize your health mostly comes down to the consistent implementation of
just a few relatively simple core guidelines.
You don’t need to revolve your entire day around tracking macros down to the
precise gram, eat nothing but 100% “clean” meals while totally depriving yourself
of the foods you enjoy most, follow any weird, overly complicated dieting “rules”,
or be perfectly on point with your nutrition every single day of every single year.
All you really need to do is get a few things right most of the time, and you’ll
achieve consistent progress from week to week on the way to your ultimate
physique goals.
By putting the majority of your focus on the underlying basics and discarding the
additional unnecessary “fluff”, you’ll achieve the same bottom line results but in a
way that is far more enjoyable and sustainable in the long term.
If you’re still brand new to this and have never monitored your calories, eaten a
consistently healthy diet or paid any real attention to your macronutrient intake,
some of the information outlined here may still seem a little daunting at first.
However, just like learning any new skill or adopting any new habit, the most
challenging part is always during the beginning stages. As you begin
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implementing the guidelines given and continue adjusting to them over the
coming weeks and months, it will gradually become easier and easier to stick
with.
When you were first learning how to drive a car, you had to remain conscious of
every little detail at all times – where the gas and break pedals were, the position
of your hands on the steering wheel, shifting from gear to gear, remembering to
use your signals etc. Eventually as you gained more experience, things just
became “automatic”. You simply got in the car and drove from A to B without
really needing to think about it.
Following a proper nutrition plan to gain muscle, burn fat and build a great
physique is the same thing. In fact, that’s how the majority of the “fitness game”
works even beyond just the nutritional side. Put in the time and effort now to
gain an understanding of how it all works and how to integrate it into your day to
day to life, and it will soon become nothing less than second nature.
Let’s begin by discussing the topic of daily calorie intake - the central foundation
of any effective muscle building and fat loss diet.
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CALORIE INTAKE
You may have heard elsewhere the idea that “calories don’t matter”. It’s often
claimed that all you need to do is follow a “clean diet” throughout the day, and
your body will automatically shift into fat burning and muscle building mode
regardless of whether you track your calories or not. In reality, this misguided
way of thinking is one of the single biggest reasons why most people fail to
achieve any significant results from their fitness plan.
You can base your diet around all the lean protein, unprocessed carbs, healthy
fats, fruits and vegetables you want, but if your overall calorie intake is not
consistently landing in the proper range each day, no amount of “healthy eating”
is going to save you.
Calories absolutely do matter, and your
total net calorie balance (how many
calories you consume versus how many
you burn) is by far the single most
important factor in your entire nutrition
plan.
In order to lose body fat, you need to
maintain a calorie deficit by consistently
burning more calories than you consume. This stimulates the body to break down
its excess fat stores in order to obtain a source of energy to correct the deficit.
Without a consistent calorie deficit in place, you’re quite simply not going to lose
any significant fat since your body will have no incentive to tap into its existing
stores.
In order to maximize muscle growth, you need to maintain a calorie surplus by
consistently consuming more calories than you burn. This provides your body
with the additional raw materials and energy that are needed to synthesize new
muscle tissue.
As we discussed in the previous section, it is possible to gain some muscle while
in a calorie deficit in certain situations (since the body can use the calories in
stored fat to fuel the muscle building process), but it won’t be to the same degree
that you’d get from a surplus. If your body fat percentage is on the low to
moderate end and your primary goal is to bulk up and gain overall mass, a calorie
surplus is a requirement.
It may not sound very “sexy”, but it really is true: calories in vs. calories out is the
central piece of the nutritional equation and is where your primary focus should
be placed. Your macronutrient distribution, vitamin/mineral/fiber intake and
other factors certainly play an important role as well, however, none of those
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other details will make any real difference if you’re simply eating too much or too
little based on your goals. Calorie intake is at the very top of the nutrition
hierarchy, and everything else follows beneath it.
Sadly, many people make this basic, fundamental mistake for months and even
years on end without realizing it, and then don’t understand why they aren’t
making the progress they expected. They simply look at the foods they’re
consuming each day and consider it to be a “healthy” combination, and then
assume that their lack of results must be due to something else. At the end of the
day, it was really nothing more than a simple matter of over or under-eating.
What are calories exactly? Simply put, calories are a measurement used to
describe the amount of energy contained in the foods you eat and in the tissues
on your body. For example, a chicken breast contains about 150 calories, while an
apple contains roughly 100 calories. A pound of stored fat contains around 3500
calories, and a pound of muscle contains about 2500 calories.
Every day you consume a certain number of calories through your diet by taking
in the three major macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Proteins
contain 4 calories per gram, carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram and fats
contain 9 calories per gram.
In addition to the calories you consume through your diet, you also burn a certain
number of calories each day through basal metabolism (natural processes that
occur at rest such as breathing, digestion and circulation) plus your activity level
(exercise, work, physical hobbies, walking, small movements you make
throughout the day etc.). The underlying foundation of a successful nutrition plan
is in striking the proper balance between your calorie intake vs. your calorie
expenditure based on your primary goal.
How many calories should you be consuming each day to carry out a successful
bulking or cutting phase?
The basic idea when trying to figure out your personal calorie target is to first
determine your calorie maintenance level, which is the number of calories you
require daily in order to maintain your current weight. Then, you’ll add or
subtract calories from your maintenance level to create either a calorie surplus (if
you’re in a bulking phase) or a calorie deficit (if you’re in a cutting phase).
Before we outline the specific methods for doing this, it’s important to keep in
mind that all calorie calculations are just estimates at the start. There's no way to
know for sure at the outset what any one individual's exact calorie needs will be,
since it can vary widely depending on a variety of factors, such as lean body mass,
activity level, age, various hormonal differences and more. The idea is to simply
make an "educated guess" to begin with, implement it, and then see how your
body responds. From there, you can adjust your intake up or down depending on
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how much weight you’re gaining or losing until you land in the proper weekly
ranges.
Here are three different methods that can be used for estimating your daily
calorie maintenance level along with the potential benefits and drawbacks for
each…
Method #1: Basic Multiplier
To use the basic multiplier, simply multiply your current bodyweight in pounds
by between 14-16, going with the higher or lower end depending on your
approximate weekly activity level.
Sedentary = 14 (little to no exercise)
Lightly Active = 14.5 (light exercise 1-3 days a week)
Moderately Active = 15 (moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
Very Active = 15.5 (intense exercise 6-7 days a week)
Extremely Active = 16 (intense daily exercise and strenuous physical job)
This is the simplest method out of the three and will usually work well as a
starting point for those who are still within a healthy body fat range, meaning
around 18-20% or lower for men and 25-27% or lower for women.
If you’re above these ranges, this method will tend to over-estimate your calorie
needs since body fat is relatively “inactive” tissue and doesn’t burn nearly as
many calories as lean muscle does. The extra body fat will add to your total body
weight (thus increasing your calorie maintenance calculation) even though it
technically doesn’t increase your actual calorie requirements by a significant
amount.
For example, if two individuals were both carrying 150 pounds of lean body mass,
but one was only carrying 20 pounds of fat (170 pounds of total body weight) and
the other was carrying 60 pounds of fat (210 pounds of total body weight), their
calorie maintenance levels would actually be similar even though the calculator
would register the heavier person as requiring a much higher intake.
For that reason, those who fall above the healthy body fat ranges will want to use
one of the two methods below instead.
Method #2: Harris-Benedict Formula
This method takes height, sex and age into account on top of your basic
bodyweight in order to give you a more fine-tuned caloric figure.
The first step with this method is to determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR),
which is the total number of calories you burn at rest. This does not include
additional activities such as weight training, cardio or physical hobbies - the BMR
refers only to natural internal processes such as breathing, digesting food,
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regulating body temperature etc. Once you’ve figured out your BMR, you’ll then
factor in your activity level using an additional multiplier to determine your
calorie maintenance level.
Calculating Basal Metabolic Rate
Men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5
Women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) - 161
Take that number and multiply it by...
Activity Multiplier
Sedentary: 1.2 (little to no exercise)
Lightly Active: 1.375 (light exercise 1-3 days a week)
Moderately Active = 1.5 (moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
Very Active = 1.675 (intense exercise 6-7 days a week)
Extremely Active = 1.8 (intense daily exercise and strenuous physical job)
Method #3: Katch McArdle Formula
Katch McArdle is the most precise method of all when used properly since it takes
into account the specific factor of lean body mass, which will result in a more
accurate BMR reading. This is especially useful for those on the more overweight
side, since the previous two methods will tend to over-estimate caloric needs if
your body fat is quite high. The downside of this method is that it requires you to
know your body fat percentage, which can be difficult to calculate accurately as
we discussed in the previous section.
If you have had your body fat professionally tested (particularly if you’ve had a
DEXA scan) or have a reasonable idea as to where you’re sitting based on your
own estimation, then you can use the following formula to calculate your BMR:
370 + (21.6 x Lean Mass in kg)
You’d then take the resulting figure and plug it into the same activity multiplier
found in method #2 to determine your approximate calorie maintenance level.
Once again, lean mass simply refers to any type of body weight that is not fat. So,
if you weighed 200 pounds at 25% body fat, you’d be carrying 150 pounds of lean
mass and 50 pounds of fat.
Now that you have your estimated calorie maintenance level in place using one of
the above methods, you’ll then adjust this figure up or down to create either a
calorie surplus for muscle growth or a calorie deficit for fat loss. Let’s go over how
to adjust for each one.
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Calorie Surplus
You may have heard the phrase that you need to “eat big to get big”, and while
there is a certain amount of truth to this, most lifters who are just starting out
and want to bulk up as quickly as possible end up taking it way too literally. Yes,
you do need a calorie surplus in place if you want to fully optimize your gains, but
it’s critical to understand that you can’t “force feed” your body into gaining more
muscle beyond a certain rate.
In other words, there’s a set limit on how many excess calories your body can
utilize over any given day for the purpose of building lean mass. Stuffing your
face with more and more food is not going to magically speed up the process, and
any calories you take in beyond a certain maximum threshold will simply be
stored as fat.
The goal of proper muscle building nutrition is to consume just enough calories
to optimize growth, and nothing more. That way, the maximum percentage of
your calorie intake will be used for lean muscle growth, while the minimum
amount will end up as body fat. This type of approach is referred to as “clean
bulking” - creating only a small calorie surplus and focusing on quality lean gains
while keeping body fat levels under control throughout the process.
This is a far superior approach in comparison to the commonly used method of
“dirty bulking”, where a large (and often totally unmonitored) calorie surplus is
used and the lifter simply focuses on maximizing weight gain without any real
regard for body fat levels. Not only does a large calorie surplus not improve your
ability to build muscle at a faster rate (or at least, not to any significant degree),
but it also increases the amount of time you’ll need to spend dieting later on to
get rid of the extra fat you’ve gained.
For example, if you were to put on 15 pounds of extra unnecessary fat during your
bulking phase, that would mean anywhere from about 2-4 months of additional
cutting once your bulk was over given a standard fat loss rate of 1-2 pounds per
week. That’s a significant amount of unneeded work you’d be creating for
yourself, and it’s also wasted time that you could have spent continuing to bulk
and putting on muscle if you had just kept your calories under control in the first
place. So, even if dirty bulking did allow you to build a very small amount of
additional muscle from week to week, in the long run you’d still likely gain less in
total since you’d have to spend a greater portion of the year cutting.
Let’s also not forget that, as mentioned in the previous section, getting
excessively fat during a bulk can also cause motivational issues if you become
unhappy with how you look and feel midway through the process.
Bottom line?
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By creating a smaller calorie surplus and keeping fat gains minimized, you’ll still
build muscle just as quickly (and probably even faster in the bigger picture),
while looking and feeling better all year round, and maximizing the chances of
sticking to your program over the long term.
How many calories should you consume above maintenance for a successful
clean bulk?
The size of your calorie surplus partly depends on your experience level, since the
longer you’ve been lifting and the more total muscle you’ve built, the smaller your
overall muscle building potential will be and the fewer calories you’ll require for
optimal gains.
These are the approximate targets you can follow based on how many years of
consistent, proper training you have under your belt:
Less Than 1 Year: 300 calories above maintenance
1-2 Years: 250 calories above maintenance
2-3 Years: 200 calories above maintenance
3-4 Years: 150 calories above maintenance
4-5 Years: 100 calories above maintenance
Keep in mind that no caloric figures are ever going to be 100% spot-on (nor do
they need to be), but these are solid ballpark numbers that will work well in most
cases as an initial starting point. Once you begin implementing your new daily
calorie intake, you’ll monitor the results from week to week to see how your body
is responding and can then make potential adjustments if necessary. The details
of how to do this properly will be covered in the progress tracking section found
in chapter 8.
Calorie Deficit
When it comes to creating a deficit for fat loss, you’ll be moving your calorie
intake in the opposite direction and with a couple of key differences to take into
account.
First off, unlike a calorie surplus where increasing its size beyond a certain point
does not lead to more muscle growth, calorie deficits do increase fat loss in direct
proportion to how large they are. The bigger your calorie deficit is, the faster
you’ll lose fat, and vice versa.
However, while large deficits (anywhere from around 700 up to as much as 1200
calories below maintenance depending on one’s body weight) do allow you to
burn fat at a faster rate, they’re also a lot more difficult to maintain in
comparison to a small to moderate sized deficit. As your deficit grows larger and
larger beyond a certain point, you’ll begin experiencing a variety of side effects
that will make the diet far more difficult (if not impossible) to maintain over a
42
prolonged period. This includes significant increases in hunger and cravings,
decreased strength and energy, poorer mental performance, and lowered libido
among other things. The combination of very low calories and weaker training
performance will also make you more susceptible to muscle loss the longer you
remain in that larger deficit.
It doesn’t matter how effective your diet is in terms of objective fat loss - if it’s
simply too demanding to follow then you’ll almost certainly burn out and quit
before long. Not only will you stop losing fat, but there’s a good chance that you’ll
re-gain most (if not all) of the weight you lost due to lasting hunger effects that
cause you to over-eat in the weeks and months after the diet has ended.
For that reason, the goal in creating a proper calorie deficit is to find the right
balance between both effectiveness and sustainability. In other words, it should
be large enough to allow you to lose fat at a significant pace, but small enough
that you’re able to maintain it without excessive difficulty or the risk of post-diet
binge eating.
What is a good middle-ground target that will allow you to achieve this and land
in the recommended fat loss range of about 1-2 pounds per week?
For most people in most situations, a reliable figure to go by is 350-500 calories
below maintenance. This is a big enough deficit to stimulate noteworthy fat loss
from week to week, while maintaining (or possibly gaining) lean muscle and
strength at the same time, and while doing so in a way that is maintainable over
the long term.
Smaller deficits of below 350 calories will still result in consistent fat loss as well
(technically speaking, any amount below maintenance will cause your body to
burn fat to some degree), but come with two main downsides.
The first is the obvious fact that you won’t see results as quickly. If you’re already
reasonably lean and only have a few pounds of fat left to lose then a smaller
deficit can work just fine, however, those at a moderate to higher body fat level
will often find the slower pace demotivating. After all, there’s no reason to cut
your progress down to half a pound of fat or less per week when you can
comfortably lose at least a full pound or more by just going with a slightly larger
deficit.
The second drawback is that there will be a larger margin for error in terms of
caloric tracking. If you’re only eating in a 200 calorie deficit, for example, small
mistakes with food measurements or inaccurate caloric estimations when eating
out can very quickly add up and potentially erase your deficit altogether.
To make a small calorie deficit work, you need to be very meticulous with your
dietary tracking to a point that is usually not realistic for the average beginner.
More advanced dieters can pull it off, but for novices (and even intermediates) it’s
43
usually better to give yourself more of a caloric “buffer” to account for potential
tracking mistakes. You might think you’re accounting for everything in your diet
with perfect accuracy, but with so many individual foods choices and
measurements taking place throughout the day, it’s a lot easier to get it wrong
than you might think.
It’s also inevitable that you’ll fall a bit off track with your diet and over-indulge at
certain points (we’re only human and this happens to even the most disciplined
of dieters from time to time), and if your deficit is quite small then you could
easily erase several days or even an entire week’s worth of progress with a simple
high calorie meal or two.
Although the intermediate and advanced caloric surplus figures outlined in the
previous section do involve smaller amounts of only 100-200 calories above
maintenance, calorie deficits are a different situation since there’s the added
element of hunger involved. When eating below maintenance, the chances of
unconscious over-eating significantly increase (an extra scoop of food here, an
extra small snack there etc.) and this makes a small deficit more difficult to
accurately pin down in comparison to a small surplus.
To sum this up: more advanced trainees who are aware of the potential benefits
and drawbacks can optionally go with a “fast cutting” approach (a large deficit of
above 500 calories maintained over a shorter period) or a “slow cutting”
approach (a small deficit of below 350 calories for a longer period) if they have
sufficient previous dieting experience in place to do so properly.
For the vast majority of people though – and especially beginners – a moderate
approach of 350-500 calories below maintenance is an effective and sustainable
figure to start off with. This amount will have you losing between 1-2 pounds per
week on a consistent basis when combined with weight training and cardio
(possibly slightly less if you’re going with the lowest figure of 350 calories) and
will give you a safer margin for error to account for potential calorie miscounting
or accidental over-eating.
The upper figure of 500 calories below maintenance would be the recommended
starting point for most typical fat loss dieters who are currently at a moderate to
higher body fat percentage. With more total fat and body weight to lose, a 500
calorie deficit should be perfectly realistic to maintain while at the same time
producing a weekly rate of fat loss that is large enough to keep motivation levels
high. The deficit can optionally be reduced later on if overall hunger/energy
levels are found to be a bit excessive, but 500 calories is a reliable deficit to begin
with in the majority of situations.
Those at a leaner body fat percentage who only have a relatively small amount of
fat to lose (around 10 pounds or so give or take) can optionally go with the lower
end of 350 calories below maintenance. Going with the full 500 is still fine in this
44
case if you’d rather drop the fat at a quicker pace, but just keep in mind that the
leaner you are, the stronger your body’s hunger response will generally be (as
well as the other dieting side effects mentioned earlier) as you try to lean down
further. A slightly smaller deficit can alleviate some of those effects, potentially
allowing you to maintain your diet more easily as you lose those last few pounds
of fat.
The downside of this approach is that the overall length of the diet will be
increased, so the decision should be based on whether you’d prefer a slightly
more difficult cutting phase that is over with faster, or a slightly easier cutting
phase that requires a bit more time to complete.
In any case, you can use the calculations previously outlined to determine your
initial calorie starting point for fat loss (keeping in mind that it’s simply an
estimate rather than a precise figure), and then use the progress tracking
information in chapter 8 to learn how to adjust it up or down if necessary
depending on how your body responds.
With your estimated caloric intake now in place for either bulking or cutting,
you’ve taken the first (and most important) step toward structuring an effective
daily eating plan. However, calories alone are certainly not the final word when it
comes to proper nutrition. Net calorie balance is what will dictate whether you
gain weight or lose weight overall, but is still not enough on its own to optimize
body composition.
After all, 2500 calories from potato chips and ice cream is obviously not the same
thing as 2500 calories from chicken breast, sweet potato and spinach. This is
obviously an extreme example, but the point is that where you obtain your
calories from matters as well. That’s why the next step in the process is to take
your total daily calorie intake and break it down into the appropriate amounts of
protein, carbohydrates and fats, and from the proper food sources.
In the case of a bulking phase, this will ensure that the majority of your weight
gain comes in the form of lean muscle, with a minimal amount coming from fat.
In the case of a cutting phase, it will ensure that the maximum amount of your
weight loss comes in the form of body fat, while allowing you to maintain your
lean muscle mass or possibly gain some.
Let’s also not forget about the basic goals of optimizing physical and mental
health, gym performance and longevity, all of which will be influenced by your
specific food choices as well.
We’ll start off by discussing protein.
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PROTEIN
Protein is without a doubt the most “essential” of the three major
macronutrients. Next to water, it’s the most abundant substance in the body and
can be found in every single one of the trillions of cells you are made up of.
Proteins are larger molecules that are composed of a chain of smaller
components called amino acids. After protein is consumed and digested it will
eventually be broken down into these individual amino acids to be used for
literally thousands of different functions, such as hormone regulation, enzyme
production, DNA replication, antibody formation and cell signalling just to name
a few. Protein is also the main structural “building block” in the body that is used
for the growth and repair of organs, skin, hair, eyes, and of course, muscle tissue.
If your body were a house, think of protein as being the bricks.
Your body already requires a certain amount of protein for natural everyday
processes, so your consumption must increase if you’re training hard in the gym
and are looking to maximize lean muscle growth. If you eat too little protein on a
day to day basis, your body won’t be receiving all of the amino acids it needs to
construct the necessary muscle proteins for optimal gains.
Protein is also valuable from a fat burning perspective as well, since it has the
highest thermic effect of any nutrient (you’ll burn additional calories just from
digesting the protein itself) and the strongest effect on satiety.
How much protein should you consume each day for optimal results?
While getting in sufficient daily protein is no
doubt a key aspect of proper nutrition, most
people way over-estimate how much they
actually need. Although you will be
consuming a “high protein diet” relative to
the average sedentary person, you won’t
require nearly as much as what all those
bodybuilding supplement companies trying
to market their protein powders, meal
replacements and “weight gainer shakes”
may have led you to believe.
Just as there’s a set limit on how many calories your body can utilize each day to
build new muscle, the same thing holds true for protein. Just because some
protein is good does not mean that more is automatically better, and consuming
higher and higher amounts beyond a certain point is not going to provide any
further muscle building benefit. It won’t necessarily be harmful (higher protein
diets do not adversely affect kidney or liver function in otherwise healthy
46
individuals), but the excess will simply be oxidized for energy rather than
contributing to additional muscle protein synthesis.
A wide variety of research has been conducted over the years on the subject of
protein intake as it relates to body composition, and it appears that about 0.8
grams per pound of body weight daily is sufficient for producing optimal muscle
building results. That would mean about 95 grams for a 120 pound person, 130
grams for a 160 pound person, and 160 grams for a 200 pound person - a far cry
from the 1.5 or even 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight that are
sometimes recommended.
Although the 0.8 gram figure will likely be enough for the vast majority of people,
going slightly higher is still an option if you want to be 100% on the safe side and
ensure that protein synthesis is being fully maxed out with virtually no chance for
error. As an overall guideline, a safe and reliable figure for protein consumption
that will optimize muscle growth and fat loss without going unnecessarily
overboard would be anywhere between 0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of body
weight daily.
Since protein needs are technically based on lean body mass, those carrying
higher levels of body fat (above 18-20% for men and 25-27% for women) will be
best off to calculate their needs based on the lower end figure of 0.8g/lb. Those
most likely to benefit from the higher end of 1g/lb. would be leaner individuals
(particularly when cutting), though this would still be a “just in case” type of
approach and may or may not actually improve results to a noticeable degree. Of
course, if you simply enjoy eating a bit more protein for the day based on
personal preference, then bumping up your intake a bit for that reason is also
fine.
That covers the question of protein intake, but what are the best food sources to
derive your intake from?
There are two main factors that influence the overall quality of any specific
protein source, the first being its amino acid profile. Certain protein sources
contain higher concentrations of the “essential” amino acids (those that the body
cannot manufacture on its own) which are more conducive to supporting muscle
recovery and growth. The most important ones in this case are the branchedchain amino acids (l-leucine, l-valine and l-isoleucine), with particular emphasis
on l-leucine since it is the primary “trigger” for muscle protein synthesis.
The second main factor when it comes to the quality of any given protein source
is its bio-availability, which refers to the percentage of the amino acids that are
actually absorbed and converted into usable proteins within the body. There are
several different methods that are used for calculating this, including Protein
Efficiency Ratio (PER), Biological Value (BV), Net Protein Utilization (NPU) and
Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). Knowing the ins
47
and outs of each of these methods is not important, but the bottom line is that
protein sources with a higher bio-availability will be superior on a per-serving
basis than those with a lower bio-availability.
As a general rule, the highest quality proteins based on these two criteria are
those derived from animal sources, such as eggs, poultry, beef, fish/seafood, pork
and dairy products like milk, yogurt, cottage cheese and whey/casein protein
powders. However, it’s important to note that while certain protein sources
technically are “higher quality” gram for gram in comparison to others, the
practical application of this decreases significantly in the context of sufficient
total protein consumption for the day as a whole.
Remember that proteins are ultimately broken down into individual amino acids,
and your body only requires a limited amount of each specific one in order to
fully elevate protein synthesis for the day. Once that maximum “cap” has been
reached, consuming additional amino acids beyond that point won’t produce
further benefits. In other words, if you’re consistently eating somewhere between
0.8-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily, your requirements for all of
the individual amino acids will usually be met automatically without needing to
specifically worry about consuming one particular set of protein sources over
another.
If for some reason you were eating a lower protein diet, then protein quality
would become a legitimate factor to pay attention to since you’d want to get the
very most out of each gram you were consuming. However, for those on a higher
protein intake it generally won’t be a practical concern.
Even those following a purely vegan diet shouldn’t have any issues with protein
quality assuming their nutrition plan is on point as a whole. Although most plantbased protein sources do have a lower bio-availability in comparison to animal
sources and will be lacking in at least one of the nine essential amino acids, it still
won’t be a problem in the bigger picture given sufficient total protein quantity
and variety.
If you are following a mostly (or entirely) plant-based diet, just make sure you’re
getting in at least a few different sources throughout the day to ensure that your
individual amino acid needs are being covered. Quinoa, beans, lentils, whole
grains, amaranth, tofu, chickpeas, tempeh, edamame, green peas and certain
meat substitutes are all good options for this.
Keep in mind that your body does not view your nutritional intake within the
context of individual food items (it only sees the entire diet as a whole), and
amino acids are amino acids regardless of which specific source they’re coming
from.
On top of this, the body also has a “free amino acid pool” available that it can
draw from if certain aminos are missing at a particular time when they’re needed.
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This is why, contrary to what was traditionally recommended in the past, there’s
actually no need for vegans or vegetarians to combine their “incomplete” protein
sources together at each meal to form a “complete” protein.
What’s the bottom line when it comes to selecting protein sources for your diet?
As long as you’re eating enough total protein for the day (0.8-1 gram per pound of
body weight) from at least a few different protein-rich food sources, you can
simply make your choices based on personal preference.
For those who do consume animal products regularly, the issue of protein variety
becomes even less important since foods such as meat, dairy, seafood etc. all
contain sufficient quantities of all the essential amino acids on their own.
The final question on the issue of proper protein consumption is in regards to
protein timing (the number of individual protein servings that should ideally be
consumed per day, and when), and this will be covered in the Meal Frequency &
Timing section later in the chapter.
Before we get to that though, let’s go over the other two macronutrients: fats and
carbohydrates.
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FAT
Back in the 70s and 80s, researchers claimed that dietary fat (particularly
saturated fat) was responsible for a wide variety of health problems, including
high cholesterol, heart disease and obesity. As it turned out, much of this was
based on an incorrect interpretation of several flawed studies. In more recent
years, extensive research conducted on low fat diets has confirmed that the
original idea that “fat makes you fat” is nothing more than an outdated myth.
Despite the traditional recommendations of a
low fat intake for improving fat loss and overall
health, cutting fat consumption too low actually
appears to have the opposite effect. Very low fat
diets have been found to elevate blood
triglycerides while lowering levels of good
cholesterol (HDL), which in turn increases the
risk of heart disease.
People on excessively low fat diets also tend to
experience higher levels of hunger (making their
diet harder to stick to), along with decreased mental well-being (greater anxiety
and depression levels) than their higher fat counterparts.
There also appears to be a direct connection between adequate daily fat intake
and improvements in body composition. This is primarily due to the role that
dietary fats play in maintaining optimal testosterone levels, which is the most
powerful muscle building hormone in the body. Consuming sufficient dietary fat
(particularly the omega-3 fatty acids) also improves insulin sensitivity, increases
activation of the mTOR pathway (a key activator of protein synthesis), reduces
muscle catabolism and can even decrease muscle soreness and inflammatory
joint pain.
Going too low on dietary fat is clearly not a wise idea, but what about going in the
opposite direction? With the rise of various popular diets such as the ketogenic
diet and other low carb variants, many people now consume very high intakes of
fat as part of their bulking or cutting diet.
First off, it’s important to keep in mind that the benefits of fat listed above are
subject to diminishing returns the higher you go. Following the same theme as
discussed in both the calorie and protein sections, just because “some is good”
doesn’t necessarily mean that “more is better”.
For example, since dietary fat increases testosterone levels, many lifters
mistakenly believe that eating more and more fat will bump those levels
continually higher. However, this is only true up to a point, and once your daily
50
fat intake has hit a certain threshold, consuming greater amounts won’t increase
testosterone levels further and lead to greater muscle growth.
The same thing holds true for fat loss. Despite the fact that some people are able
to lose fat successfully while following a high fat diet, this isn’t due to any special
fat burning benefits associated with eating very large amounts of fat in and of
itself. The data has shown that consuming a higher percentage of calories from
fat does not lead to greater net fat loss beyond a limited point, and that very high
fat eating plans (such as a ketogenic diet) do not produce any unique metabolic
advantages.
For some individuals, a high protein/high fat approach is simply more effective at
controlling appetite, which can then lead to better overall dietary adherence, at
least in the short term. However, this is a highly individual thing, and for many
others (in fact, for most others), very high fat diets that heavily restrict
carbohydrates are generally not sustainable in the long term. They may work for
a short while, but due to the extreme nature of the diet, they can only be
maintained for a few weeks or months before being abandoned in favor of a more
practical, balanced approach.
On top of this, the jury is still out in regards to the general health effects of
consuming very high amounts of fat over a prolonged period. So, even if a very
high fat diet did help you maintain a calorie deficit more easily by regulating
cravings, it still may not be a worthy trade-off if it potentially puts your health at
risk.
For most people in most situations, neither under-consuming nor overconsuming fat will be the ideal approach. “Extreme” diets that go very high on
certain macronutrients while significantly restricting others are usually not
realistic in the real world, and as with most things, a healthy middle ground is
usually best.
As an general guideline that will work well for the majority of trainees, deriving
about 25% of total calories from fat is a safe and effective daily figure to aim for.
This will provide you with all of the muscle building, fat burning and overall
health benefits that dietary fats have to offer while still leaving plenty of room for
sufficient protein and carbohydrate intake. The precise gram amount doesn’t
need to be 100% exact (this is just an approximate figure), and landing
somewhere roughly around this amount will be fine.
Going a bit higher is acceptable if you prefer it (up to about 30%-35%), but you
shouldn’t be going any lower than 20% as a minimum.
To calculate your daily fat intake, just take your total daily calorie intake and
multiply it by 0.25 (this will give you the total number of calories to consume
from fat) and then divide it by 9 (since fats contain 9 calories per gram) to get the
actual gram amount.
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For example, let’s say your daily calorie intake was set at 2700. First you’d
multiply this by 0.25, giving you 675 daily calories in the form of fat. From there,
divide 675 by 9, giving you 75 grams of fat per day to consume.
Now that you have your daily fat intake set, let’s go over the four main types of fat
you’ll be consuming with a brief rundown of each.
Saturated Fat (SFAs)
Saturated fats are often given the blame for a wide variety of health problems,
with some people recommending that their intake be fully minimized as much as
possible. On the other hand are those who take the opposite approach by
claiming that saturated fat is completely harmless and can be consumed in
whatever amount an individual pleases. As with most questions related to proper
nutrition, the best answer tends to lie somewhere in the middle.
Without going into too much detail, the term “saturated fat” actually refers to a
variety of fatty acids (palmitic acid, lauric acid, stearic acid etc.) each of which
have differing effects in the body, some potentially more negative or positive than
others. For that reason, using the blanket term “saturated fat” is not entirely
accurate in the first place.
In addition, the specific effects that these fatty acids exert depends at least in part
on the relative health and fitness of the individual. Those who are lean, active and
eating a nutrient-dense diet don’t seem to respond negatively to higher saturated
fat intakes, while those who are overweight and follow a generally unhealthy
lifestyle see much more pronounced effects on things like blood lipids and
cholesterol levels. Saturated fat is also necessary for optimal testosterone
production, so trying to completely limit it is not going to be a wise idea.
Examples of foods higher in saturated fats are animal meats, egg yolks, dairy
products and coconut.
The bottom line here is that saturated fat is neither inherently “good” nor “bad”,
and if you’re training consistently and eating a minimally processed, nutrient rich
diet, it probably isn’t something you need to specifically worry about as long as
you’re keeping things within reasonable moderation.
Monounsaturated Fat (MUFAs)
Monounsaturated fatty acids are most well-known for their cardiovascular
benefits. It’s believed that at least part of the health benefit of Mediterranean
diets is due to the inclusion of large amounts of olive oil, which provides oleic
acid (the primary monounsaturated fat) and is associated with a variety of
positive health effects.
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Monounsaturated fats can be found in high concentrations in avocados, nuts/nut
butters, olives, seeds, and in plant oils such as olive oil, avocado oil, hazelnut oil,
macadamia nut oil, safflower oil and almond oil. Aim to get in 1-2 servings of
these healthy fats as part of your total fat intake each day.
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)
Unlike monounsaturated fats and saturated fats (which are technically not
needed for basic survival), polyunsaturated fats are the “essential fats” that must
be consumed in adequate amounts from your diet in order to prevent deficiency
and serious health consequences.
The two main types of polyunsaturated fats are the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty
acids, with the optimal ratio between the two (the one that humans ate
throughout most of our evolution) landing somewhere between 1:1 and 1:4.
However, modern diets have skewed this ratio significantly, with the average
consumption now landing somewhere between 1:15 and 1:17 in favor of omega6’s. This is due to the much higher omega-6 content found in the current food
supply as well as the very low level of omega-3’s found in most typical diets.
Excessive intakes of omega-6 fatty acids have been associated with increased
levels of inflammation and are often pointed to as a contributing factor in many
modern diseases, though the research in this area is still mixed and inconclusive.
One thing is for certain though, and that is that the increased consumption of
omega-3’s virtually always leads to better health outcomes in a variety of
important areas, such as improving cardiovascular health, lowering blood
triglycerides, reducing blood pressure, boosting the immune system and
improving mental health, just to name a few. In fact, a study by The Harvard
School Of Public Health found that omega-3 deficient diets are the sixth highest
killer of Americans, causing up to 96,000 preventable deaths every single year.
If there’s one key point to take away from this section regarding the various types
of fat, the importance of consuming adequate omega-3’s as part of your diet
would be it. Specifically, it appears that the omega-3 fatty acids EPA
(eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are the ones of
particular benefit.
Unfortunately, although The American Heart Health Association recommends
consuming 1 gram of combined EPA/DHA daily (with some research showing
benefits up to as high as 6 grams daily), the average Westerner takes in just 1020% of that amount.
The best way to ensure adequate consumption of EPA and DHA is by consuming
a few servings of fatty fish per week (salmon, mackerel, cod, herring, tuna,
anchovy and sardines are all great sources) and/or by supplementing with a high
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quality fish oil, a topic we’ll discuss in more detail in the supplementation
section.
Certain plant based sources such as flaxseeds and nuts do contain a good dose of
omega-3’s as well, however, these provide ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) which has a
very poor downstream conversion into EPA and DHA (as low as 5-10% in some
cases).
Trans Fats
Last on the list are trans fats. These are created when vegetable oils undergo a
process called hydrogenation (where hydrogen is bubbled through the oil) in
order to partly solidify it and increase its shelf life - a method that works out great
for food manufacturers, but not so great for consumers.
This is because when vegetable oils are hydrogenated, their chemical structure is
changed into a form that the body is not properly equipped to deal with.
Excessive trans fat consumption is tied to a wide variety of possible health
problems, including increased inflammation, heart disease, depressive symptoms
and insulin resistance.
Foods high in trans fat include processed baked foods like cakes, pies, cookies,
donuts, muffins, margarine, fried fast foods, frozen pizzas and microwaved
meals. Although many of these items will be listed as “0 grams of trans fat” on the
nutrition label, keep in mind that any item containing less than 0.5 grams can
technically be labeled as trans fat free.
There isn’t really much debate on the issue here - trans fats have no benefits at all
to humans and are purely negative from a health standpoint. This is not to say
that “treat foods” such as those listed above must be totally avoided, but just be
aware that foods containing higher concentrations of trans fat should be kept
under limits if optimizing overall health is important to you.
The American Heart Association recommends no more than an average of 2
grams of trans fat per day.
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CARBOHYDRATES
That leaves us with the final
macronutrient of the three, and typically
the most misunderstood one as well.
Once fat was vindicated of its previously
misguided label as an unhealthy “fat
storing” nutrient, carbohydrates became
the new enemy.
From the 90s onward, a whole slew of
different low carb dieting approaches
and “anti carb” advice began to take
over. Eat that piece of fruit, bowl of oatmeal or serving of potatoes, and the body
will supposedly be forced into “fat storing mode”, insulin levels will skyrocket,
and leaning down will become extremely difficult if not impossible.
The reality?
If you’re otherwise healthy and are following a consistent training program,
cutting your carbohydrate intake to very low levels will probably do you more
harm than good when it comes to building muscle, losing fat and optimizing
physical and mental performance.
Carbohydrates are the preferred source of fuel for the body and provide energy to
your muscles and brain throughout the day. Consuming sufficient carbohydrates
will keep glycogen levels full (glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrate found
in the muscles and liver), allowing you to train at your full strength and
endurance capacity in the gym. This applies not only during weight training and
cardio workouts, but during any physically strenuous activity in general.
Keeping glycogen levels high will also give your muscles a fuller and more
“saturated” appearance as opposed to the flat and “deflated” look that often
accompanies low carb intakes.
In addition to this, heavily restricting carbohydrate consumption can also lead to
reduced testosterone levels, increased appetite (due to lowered levels of leptin
and serotonin), and higher cortisol levels leading to increased stress and anxiety.
Why all the fuss about carbs then?
Most of the claimed “fat storing” effects of carbohydrates revolve around the
hormone insulin. Insulin is produced in the pancreas and is released into the
bloodstream any time you consume carbohydrates, signalling the cells in bodily
tissue to absorb the nutrients.
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When insulin is released, it essentially tells the body to stop burning fat and to
instead use the incoming food for energy while storing the excess. As the
nutrients are absorbed, insulin levels gradually fall back to baseline until you eat
again. So yes, technically speaking, insulin does cause the body to “store fat”. This
allows it to create energy reserves for later use, since fat is essentially just a stored
form of fuel. The process of fat storage is a completely natural evolutionary
mechanism that is critical to health and survival.
However, this does not mean that insulin itself makes you fat. Although insulin is
what actually shuttles the food you eat into your fat cells, your total net gains or
losses in body fat will still be determined by how much food there is to store or
not store. In other words, it still comes down to net energy balance in the overall
picture, or how many calories you consume versus how many you burn for the
day in total.
The key thing to understand here is that fat loss is not merely an “on/off switch”.
Rather, fat loss and fat gain are both happening simultaneously to a certain
degree all throughout the day. Some fat is always being stored (particularly after
you eat and while you’re at rest) and some fat is always being liberated for use as
energy (particularly in between meals and during exercise).
Over the course of the day as a whole, it’s the total amount of fat stored minus the
total amount of fat burned that will determine your bottom line results. As long
as you’re remaining in a net calorie deficit, you’ll continue to lose body fat
consistently without needing to specifically worry about keeping insulin levels
low.
Insulin doesn’t just act on fat tissue either – it’s also responsible for transporting
nutrients into muscle cells where they’re needed for facilitating recovery and
growth, and where they can be stored as glycogen for later use.
Another often overlooked point is the fact that carbohydrates are not the only
nutrient responsible for insulin release. Proteins stimulate insulin release as well,
and in some cases to just as high a degree as carbohydrates do. For example, beef
has an insulin score of 51, which is around the same as that of brown rice or
brown pasta. Fish measures even higher at about 59, similar to an apple or
orange. Whey protein is also highly insulinogenic.
If insulin really were the primary cause of fat storage and needed to be minimized
in order to lean down successfully, not only would a low carb diet be mandatory,
but you’d also have to significantly reduce your protein intake as well.
Why then do some people report having a high degree of success after following a
low carb approach?
In most cases the answer is pretty simple: carbohydrates contain calories, and
anyone who decides to heavily restrict an entire macronutrient will generally end
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up decreasing their total calorie intake as a result. It’s not the reduction of
carbohydrates themselves that led to improved fat loss, but simply the reduction
in total calories.
Another consequence of restricting carbohydrates is that protein consumption
will naturally tend to increase, and since protein is the most satiating of the three
macronutrients, this often leads to better appetite control in those who were
consuming a lower protein diet to begin with. Protein also has the highest
thermic effect of any nutrient (it burns the most calories during digestion) and of
course aids in building muscle, leading to even more calories burned over the
course of the day.
Take a person who regularly consumes moderate to high amounts of calorically
dense refined carbohydrates (muffins, bagels, pastries, granola bars, sweets,
sugary drinks etc.) and replaces them with lean protein and vegetables, and it’s
no surprise that the weight finally begins falling off.
Those who swear by low carb diets are often confusing correlation with causation
– they lost fat due to decreasing their overall calories and achieving greater
appetite control – not because carbohydrates are an inherently “fat storing”
macronutrient in and of themselves.
In any case, the bottom line is that unless you have a very specific reason for
doing so (such as being severely overweight and struggling with insulin
resistance), there’s no need to go out of your way to reduce your carbohydrate
intake. Those who have previous experience with low carb diets and prefer them
for whatever reason can optionally stick with it if they’d like, but the majority of
people will perform best on at least a moderate carb intake and will be able to
maintain their diet more easily that way as well.
How many carbohydrates should you consume each day?
Simple: whatever calories are left over after your protein and fat intake have been
set.
To calculate this, just take your protein intake in grams and multiply it by 4
(since protein contains 4 calories per gram) and your fat intake in grams and
multiply it by 9 (since fat contains 9 calories per gram). Add those two numbers
together, and then subtract it from your total daily calorie intake to find the total
number of calories that should be allotted to carbohydrates. Since carbs contain 4
calories per gram, you’ll then divide that figure by 4 to get the total grams of
carbohydrates to consume.
Of your total daily carb intake, you’ll also want to ensure that an adequate portion
is being derived from fiber. Although fiber itself is not an essential nutrient
(meaning you can survive without it), it does perform a variety of important jobs
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in the body such as moderating appetite, lowering blood cholesterol levels,
normalizing bowel movements and even reducing the risk of various cancers.
The average fiber consumption in the US for adults currently lands around 15
grams per day, an amount that falls quite a bit below the proper intake needed for
optimal health. The guideline given by The Institute Of Medicine and the figure
that should ideally be aimed for is to consume about 14 grams of fiber for every
1000 calories eaten.
Fortunately, if you’re eating a well balanced diet and are obtaining the bulk of
your daily carbohydrates from the proper sources, your fiber needs will typically
be met automatically without the need to specifically track it. In any case, it is
something to take into consideration if your current fiber intake is falling on the
lower end.
That leads us to the next question: what are the “proper sources” that your daily
carb intake should be derived from?
Although this is another topic surrounded by a ton of confusion and misleading
information (with recommendations varying all over the map), it’s actually quite
simple and straightforward in the practical sense.
Dietary carbohydrates are broken down into three major categories.
The first are "monosaccharides": carbohydrate sources that contain just a single
sugar molecule. Examples are glucose, fructose and galactose.
The second are "oligosaccharides": carbohydrate sources that contain a chain of
2-10 sugar molecules. Examples are sucrose (glucose + fructose), lactose (glucose
+ galactose) and maltose (glucose + glucose).
The third are "polysaccharides": carbohydrate sources that contain a chain of
several hundred to several thousand sugar molecules. These are typically referred
to as starches.
Regardless of which type of carbohydrate you consume, it will eventually be
broken down into glucose, which is the simplest and most preferred form of
energy for the muscles and brain. (A small percentage also ends up as fructose
which is metabolized by the liver). Whether it’s a banana, bowl of rice or a
chocolate bar, the final product is ultimately the same – it all ends up as glucose
in the end. In that sense, “a carb is a carb” no matter which food source it comes
from.
This leads many people to ask the question: “if a carb is a carb, why can’t I just hit
my protein and fat needs for the day and then use ice cream, cake and cookies to
fill up all of my carbohydrate macros?”
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The reason for this is that although the majority of carbohydrates themselves are
ultimately broken down into glucose, the foods they’re “packaged up in” are not
the same in terms of their nutritional content. Some carbs are found in high fiber,
micronutrient dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, oats, potatoes, beans, whole
grains etc., while some are found in less nutritionally dense, lower fiber foods
such as typical “sweets” and other highly refined carb sources.
It’s not the carbohydrates themselves that are the main cause for concern; it’s all
the “extra stuff” they either do or don’t come with. You can’t sit around eating
processed, nutritionally void carbohydrate sources all day and expect to
maximize your muscle growth, fat loss, energy and health, since you’ll miss out
on the valuable vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber your body needs for
optimal functioning.
For example, consume 50 grams of carbohydrate in the form of sweet potato and
you’ll also be getting a good dose of vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium
and fiber, whereas those same 50 grams of carbs in the form of candy and soda
would deliver next to nothing in terms of additional nutrition.
This is why the bulk of your carb intake should ideally come in the form of
minimally processed, higher fiber sources. These foods will provide your muscles
and brain with the carbohydrates needed to fuel your workouts and other daily
activities, while also delivering the additional micronutrients needed for optimal
health, recovery and performance.
Here’s a good sample list of healthy carbohydrate sources that fall into this
category…
Vegetables (All types)
Fruits (All types)
Oats
Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes
Yams
Beans
Lentils
Quinoa
Couscous
Pasta
Pita
Rice
Whole grain breads
Whole grain cereals
Regardless of what specific combination of sources you use to meet your daily
carb intake, one important guideline to incorporate is to consume at least 2
servings of vegetables and 1-2 servings of fruit per day. This would be the
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minimum amount, and if you can get in more then that’s even better. Vegetables
and fruits are especially micronutrient dense (as well as being a good source of
fiber) and will help to ensure that all of your daily vitamin and mineral needs are
being fully met.
One final issue that often comes up on the topic of carbohydrate selection is in
regards to the glycemic index, which is a chart that rates foods from 0 to 100
based on how quickly they raise blood sugar levels after they’re consumed. It’s
commonly recommended that people stick to "slow absorbing carbs" as opposed
to “fast absorbing carbs” in order to keep blood sugar levels steady and prevent
excess fat storage.
To put it simply, this isn’t something you’ll need to concern yourself with if you’re
otherwise healthy and are eating a balanced diet consisting mainly of higher
fiber, minimally processed carb sources.
First off, the glycemic rankings of different carbohydrate sources are based on
consuming them alone in a fasted state. You’ll rarely be eating carbohydrates in
isolation in a fasted state, and when you consume them as part of a complete
meal with protein and fat added in (or when there’s already food in your
stomach), the absorption speeds are significantly altered.
Secondly, even if a “fast absorbing” carbohydrate did end up as stored body fat at
a faster rate in comparison to a slower absorbing one (since the body won’t be
able to use all of it right away), this still won’t negatively affect fat loss or fat gain
for the day as a whole. It makes no difference to your overall body fat levels if
your carbs are stored now and burned later, or if they’re burned immediately
without being stored at all.
Total calorie intake versus total calorie expenditure is what will ultimately
determine your net gains or losses in body fat over the course of 24 hours - not
the “speed” of the carbs you consume. As long as you have a proper calorie deficit
in place in the big picture, any dietary carbohydrates that are stored as fat will
eventually be broken down for use as energy later on when they’re needed.
When it all comes down to it, just focus on obtaining the bulk of your carbs from
minimally processed, higher fiber sources such as those listed above, get in your
veggies and fruits for the day, keep your total carbohydrate intake roughly around
the prescribed level, and you’ll be all set from there without the need for further
unnecessary analysis.
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WATER
In addition to consuming adequate amounts of protein, fat and carbohydrates
each day, sufficient water intake is another aspect of a proper diet that shouldn’t
be overlooked.
The human body is comprised of roughly 60% water (with the brain and muscles
being made up of 70-80% water) and every single system in your body requires it
to function properly. Water plays an important role in digestion, detoxification,
temperature regulation, cognitive function, nutrient transportation and
absorption, kidney function and immunity among other things.
Aside from its overall health benefits, drinking enough water each day also has a
direct effect on your ability to build muscle, burn fat and perform at your best in
the gym. Not only will fully hydrating your muscle cells cause your physique to
appear fuller and more defined in general, but it will also keep your strength and
endurance levels maximized as well.
Research has shown that being even slightly dehydrated can decrease physical
performance significantly, and always entering the gym in a fully hydrated state is
one of the simplest things you can do to optimize the quality of your workouts.
Since water intake also appears to have direct effects on mood and concentration,
this may also have some positive carry over to your weight training and cardio
sessions as well.
On top of all of this, water also plays a role in reducing the risk of injury by
lubricating the joints and forming a protective “cushion” around them. Heavy
weight training can undoubtedly subject your joints and connective tissues to
quite a bit of wear and tear over time, and proper water intake can help to
alleviate some of that stress.
Lastly, consuming adequate water each day can also help to reduce excess
subcutaneous water retention (fluid that is stored directly beneath the skin),
which will give your body a slightly harder and more defined appearance. When
water intake is restricted, the body reacts by retaining a greater amount of fluid
as a natural defence mechanism. A consistent intake of water throughout the day
will have a natural “flushing” effect since the body will have no incentive to hold
on to that additional fluid given the sufficient external supply it’s receiving.
How much water should you consume each day?
You’ll hear many different recommendations on what the “ideal” daily water
intake is, such as “8 glasses”, “half an ounce per pound of body weight”, or the
simple round figure of one gallon. The problem with these set guidelines is that
proper water intake can vary significantly from person to person depending on a
variety of factors.
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Aside from differences in total body weight, the amount that an individual sweats
throughout the day also plays a very important role. The more you sweat, the
more water you’ll need to drink to replace your losses, and this can add up to a
very large amount over the course of 24 hours for some people.
The amount that you sweat will be influenced by several things, including your
training frequency, intensity/duration of your sessions, activity level outside the
gym and the type of climate you live in. A person who lives in a hot climate and
trains six days per week is almost certainly going to require far more water than
someone who trains three days per week and works a desk job in a cooler climate,
even if those two individuals weigh the same.
The simplest way to gauge your water intake effectively is by looking at the color
and smell of your urine throughout the day. If it’s reasonably clear and odorless
most of the time, this is a pretty good indication that your body is adequately
hydrated. Whether it requires two and a half, four or six liters daily for you to
reach that point, that’s totally fine since it ultimately just comes down to the
individual.
Once you’ve made the conscious decision to drink more water and have
experimented with your intake over the course of a few days, you’ll pretty quickly
find out specifically how much you personally require. You might find yourself
running to the bathroom quite frequently in the beginning, but this is partly due
to excess water retention being flushed out and you’ll find that your body adapts
to the increased amount over time.
You can start your day off on the right foot by
getting in around half a liter (two cups) of water
fairly soon after waking. From there, just do the best
you can to keep your intake relatively steady
throughout the rest of the day. Taking a water bottle
with you can also be a big help with this, as it will
serve as a reminder and keep you accountable if
you’re continually forgetting to drink. It will also
give you a concrete visual of exactly how much water
you’ve been taking in at different points in the day.
Any type of liquid will ultimately count towards your daily water intake, whether
it be pure water, juice, milk, zero calorie drinks, coffee, tea or anything else.
Contrary to popular belief, caffeine is actually not an overly powerful diuretic,
and caffeinated beverages still have a net positive effect on your hydration status.
The only exception here would be drinks that are high in alcohol content, as those
will have a dehydrating effect when consumed.
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One word of caution to keep in mind though is that it’s generally not a good idea
to be consuming large amounts of calorie-containing beverages as a way of
meeting your daily water needs, even if those drinks seem “healthy”.
The calorie content of things like juice, sugary smoothies or sports drinks will add
up very quickly if you aren’t careful, since they’re very easy to consume and don’t
satisfy hunger in the same way that solid foods do. Just a few glasses of these
types of drinks can easily represent several hundred calories or more and can
shoot your daily totals to an excessively high level without you even realizing it.
A controlled amount of these drinks is fine as long as you take the calories into
account, but the majority of your intake should be in the form of regular plain
water and other zero-calorie options, especially while in a cutting phase where
appetite control becomes especially important.
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TREAT FOODS
If you’re looking to optimize your muscle gains, fat loss, strength increases and
overall health, there’s no question that the bulk of your diet should be based
around minimally processed, nutrient-dense whole foods the majority of the
time. This will provide you with the proper balance of macronutrients, vitamins,
minerals, fiber and phytonutrients needed to support optimal functioning,
recovery and performance both in and out of the gym.
However, this certainly doesn’t mean that these are the only foods you can eat if
you want to get into great shape or that you must follow a “100% clean” diet at
every single meal, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You might think that the lean, muscular, in-shape person next to you at the gym
is sitting around eating nothing but plain chicken breasts, brown rice and salads
all day long, but this is virtually never the case in the real world, nor does it need
to be. As long as you exercise some reasonable moderation and properly track
things, you most definitely can build muscle and lose fat effectively while still
indulging in your favorite higher fat/higher sugar foods from time to time as well.
One highly important nutritional mindset to develop is the understanding that
your body does not view your diet within the context of individual food items. For
example, one chicken breast, one cup of rice and one bowl of ice cream are not
seen as separate entities. The body doesn’t say “that’s a chicken breast”, “that’s
rice” and “that’s ice cream”. In addition, it doesn’t say “those first two items are
healthy” and “that last item is unhealthy”. All the body really sees here is 44
grams of protein, 90 grams of carbs, 16 grams of fat, as well as an assortment of
fiber and micronutrients all mixed together as one single mass of food.
A common theme that will be continually
hammered throughout this manual is the fact that
proper muscle building and fat loss nutrition is
primarily a “big picture” game. It’s not about any
one single food, meal or day of eating – it’s about
your overall habits in the larger scheme. If you’re
eating an otherwise “clean” diet the majority of the
time and then head out for a few slices of pizza with some friends, it’s not as if a
giant red light begins flashing within your body, fat storage goes into overdrive
and your health instantly plummets.
Rather than labelling individual food items as “good” or “bad”, it’s far more
accurate and useful to look at your overall diet as a whole and label that as “good”
or “bad”. The pizza only represents a small portion of your total nutritional intake
for the day and week, and as long as it fits into your calorie and macronutrient
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targets in the larger scheme, you’ll still be eating what would be considered a
“good” diet even with it included in moderation.
Not only that, but your bottom line muscle building and fat burning results won’t
be negatively affected either. If your goal is to lose fat, you’ll still be able to lean
down just as effectively even if some higher calorie treat foods are included so
long as you’re continuing to maintain a net calorie deficit. In the case of a bulking
phase, just make sure that those additional high calorie items aren’t pushing you
above your total calorie surplus target for the day, and there won’t be any need to
worry.
This topic always reminds me of the story of Mark Haub (professor of human
nutrition at Kansas State University), who wanted to prove this by sticking to a
diet consisting mainly of processed junk food such as Twinkies, Nutty Bars and
powdered donuts (and simply focused on maintaining a calorie deficit instead)
and ended up losing 27 pounds in ten weeks while improving all of his blood
health markers at the same time. This is certainly not the type of diet that would
be recommended for anyone to follow, but it does hammer home the key point
that net calorie balance really is the ultimate bottom line in regards to total
weight gain and weight loss.
Also keep in mind that despite their higher fat and sugar content, most typical
treat foods still do contain usable macro and micronutrients nonetheless. So,
unless we’re talking about an item that truly is pure empty calories (such as soda
or candy), you’ll still get some nutritional benefit from these foods regardless and
it’s not as if every single calorie is a complete waste.
Exactly how much “treat food” is okay to include as part of your diet?
A reasonable guideline would be to have around 80-90% of your diet comprised
of healthy, nutrient dense whole foods (lean proteins, high fiber/minimally
refined carbs and healthy fats), and the remaining 10-20% from whatever foods
you’d like assuming it fits into your daily calorie and macronutrient totals.
The “clean” 80-90% will ensure that your nutritional needs are being met in
terms of optimizing muscle growth, fat loss, recovery and general health, leaving
you with 10-20% of your daily intake to play around with however you’d like. For
example, if you were consuming 2500 calories daily, you’d want 2000-2250 of
those calories to be derived from nutrient dense whole foods, and you could then
allot the remaining 250-500 calories to whatever foods you felt like.
This doesn’t have to be distributed on an exact day to day basis either. If you’d
prefer to stick with cleaner foods for a couple days or more at a time and then
indulge with a higher percent of treat food over a shorter period, that’s fine as
well. The basic idea is to just make sure that in the overall picture you’re landing
somewhere around that 80-90%/10-20% breakdown.
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This is a much more realistic, practical way of eating for most people and will
maximize your chances of long term consistency by improving the enjoyment of
your diet and ensuring that you don’t feel excessively deprived or restricted.
Remember, fitness is not a “12 week program” - it’s an ongoing way of life that
you’ll be following for decades to come.
This is also why it’s best to avoid the terms “cheat meal” or “cheat food” to
describe this type of approach, since they imply that you’re doing something
“wrong” or outside of the rules. Sure, if you’re consistently over-indulging in
these types foods and this is causing you to over shoot your calorie targets on an
ongoing basis, “cheating” on your diet might be an appropriate way to label it.
However, if the bulk of your diet is coming from otherwise healthy foods and
you’re simply treating yourself in moderation while staying within your caloric
limits, it’s nothing to feel guilty about nor will it impede your progress in any
noticeable way.
All that said, there are two important caveats that should be mentioned here. The
first is that, for some people, certain high sugar/high fat items can end up acting
as “trigger foods” which then spill over into episodes of excessive over-eating.
If you’re someone who finds that two cookies almost always ends up as four, and
then six, followed by a variety of other high calorie foods thrown in against your
better judgement, you’ll probably be best off to reduce your treat food allotment
to a lower percentage figure. Or, you can even go the route of completely
abstaining from certain foods altogether, at least for a temporary period until
you’re able to get a better handle on your cravings.
Secondly, keep in mind that foods like cookies, chocolate, pizza, burgers etc. are
incredibly energy dense, meaning they pack a very high number of calories into a
relatively small volume of actual food. Although they do provide a nice element of
psychological satisfaction due to their taste, they won’t go nearly as far in the way
of physically filling you up since you can only eat a smaller amount before you
end up going overboard on total calories.
This is usually not a big issue for those who are bulking (in fact, it can actually
help in some cases if you’re having trouble getting in all of your required calories
for the day), but those who are eating in a calorie deficit can sometimes run into
issues with hunger if they allot too many calories toward these sorts of foods.
For example, a Starbucks chocolate chip muffin contains 440 calories in only 115
grams of actual food, whereas a full plate containing 125 grams of chicken breast,
200 grams of sweet potato and 300 grams of mixed vegetables equals out to the
same calorie total. That means you’re getting more than five times the food
volume for the same number of calories if you were to go with the “cleaner” meal
of protein/carbs/veggies rather than the muffin.
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So, when incorporating treat foods into your diet, make sure to take this into
consideration and aim to strike a good balance for yourself in the overall picture.
This means hitting your total calories for the day and allowing a small amount of
treat food in the mix if you desire, but also ensuring that your diet contains
enough total “bulk” to keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout the day.
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ALCOHOL
Another topic that should be addressed while we’re on the subject of “treat foods”
is in regards to alcohol consumption. Since it’s not a protein/carb/fat (alcohol is
technically its own macronutrient) and is usually viewed as being entirely
detrimental to a fitness plan, many people aren’t sure how much (if any) alcohol
is okay to consume, or how to properly track it as part of their intake.
The truth is that, in the same way that a moderate amount of higher fat/higher
sugar food is fine to eat if the calories are taken into account, a moderate amount
of alcohol is also acceptable and won’t impede your results as long as you keep it
within reasonable limits.
As with most things in life, the devil is in the dosage rather than in the actual
substance itself. Just because you’re trying to build muscle and lose fat doesn’t
mean that going out and having some social drinks with your friends is off limits,
or that a glass of wine or a beer or two is going to somehow stop your progress
dead in its tracks.
As a general guideline, the equivalent of 1-2 standard
drinks per day for a male and about half that amount for
a female (or a larger number consumed less frequently
but averaging out to around the same figure for the
week) shouldn’t be a cause for concern in terms of its
effects on overall muscle growth and fat loss.
Contrary to popular belief, alcohol does not significantly
lower testosterone levels unless a very large amount is
consumed (even then the effect is temporary), nor does it significantly decrease
protein synthesis or impair recovery after a standard moderate volume workout.
In fact, studies have shown fairly consistently that moderate drinkers actually live
longer on average than non-drinkers (key phrase there being “moderate”), and
that small amounts of alcohol can have a protective effect against a fairly wide
range of diseases.
Just make sure to take the calories of your alcohol-containing beverages into
account in the same way you would for any other food or drink item, and then
subtract it from either your carbohydrate calories or fat calories for the day, or
from a combination of both.
For example, if you consumed an alcoholic beverage containing 100 calories, you
could subtract 25 grams of carbs from your daily intake since carbohydrates
contain 4 calories per gram. Another option would be to reduce your fat intake by
11 grams, since fats contain 9 calorie per gram. Or, you can go the middle ground
route with half from carbs and half from fat. None of this has to be perfectly spot
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on, but the bottom line is to simply add the alcohol calories in and subtract an
equal amount from your regular diet while leaving your protein intake the same.
Also keep in mind that alcohol is fairly energy dense at about 7 calories per gram,
and since those calories are consumed in liquid form and won’t provide anything
in the way of hunger satiation (alcohol often has the opposite effect and increases
appetite), it’s quite easy to go overboard if you aren’t staying mindful of your
consumption.
This is especially true during a cutting phase when you have fewer calories to
work with and where ingesting a high number of calories in liquid form is
virtually never a good idea outside of once-in-a-while occasions. Alcohol is not
inherently “fattening” in and of itself, but the total calories can add up very
quickly, especially if you’re consuming higher calorie drinks such as beer or are
combining hard alcohol with sugary mixers.
If you are planning to enjoy a social night out where you’ll be having more than
just one or two drinks, you can “minimize the damage” by sticking with lower
calorie options such as dry wines or spirits mixed with low calorie or zero calorie
liquids.
If you’re someone who is prone to over eating after having a few drinks, another
strategy you can use is to lower your calorie intake earlier on in the day in order
to “save up” some calories for later. This will create a “calorie buffer” to help you
stay within your daily limits (or at least not go too far above them) if you do end
up feeling quite hungry toward the end of the night. Do keep in mind though that
if social drinking is something you do fairly rarely and if your diet is otherwise on
point most of the time, letting loose once in a while and enjoying a higher calorie
day without specifically tracking things is really no big deal in the grand scheme.
Most people probably don’t need to be told this, but you’ll also want to make sure
to drink plenty of water throughout the evening as well as before going to sleep.
Alcohol is very dehydrating, and making an effort to increase your water intake
will go a long way in helping you to recover more quickly afterwards.
Drinking to get drunk is obviously not the best thing for you in terms of general
health, but the effect from a pure muscle building or fat burning perspective
would be minimal if it’s only being done once in a while (no more than about
twice per month) and if your overall program as a whole remains otherwise on
track.
If you allow alcohol consumption to interfere with the consistency of your
training and nutrition in the big picture, then there shouldn’t be any surprise that
your progress will be impeded in some way. If a night out of drinking causes you
to significantly over eat in the hours and days that follow, skip workouts and/or
damages your focus and motivation, then obviously it’s something you’ll need to
carefully moderate or even abstain from altogether.
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Every person is different, so you’ll need to weigh out the benefits and drawbacks
for yourself and decide exactly how alcohol consumption will be worked into your
diet and lifestyle, if at all.
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MEAL FREQUENCY & TIMING
The next step in mapping out your complete nutritional plan is in figuring out
how to properly combine and distribute your meals throughout the day in terms
of frequency (how often to eat) and timing (when to eat). An endless number of
different meal frequency and timing strategies have popped up over the years, all
claiming to have some special “secret” for daily calorie and macronutrient
distribution that will produce dramatically better results in comparison to
anything else.
The standard piece of advice in bodybuilding and fitness circles for many years
was to consume “six small meals a day” spaced out every 2-3 hours, as it was
claimed that this would keep the body in a permanent anabolic state and
maximize the fat burning metabolism all around the clock. Things then moved in
the opposite direction with the increased popularity of intermittent fasting, where
no food is consumed for 16 hours of the day followed by a shorter “feeding
window” where all calories (usually two large meals) are eaten. Others go
somewhere in between with three or four moderate sized meals per day, while
other strategies advise moving only specific macronutrients to certain time
periods, such as with carb backloading where all carbohydrates are consumed in
the evening hours after training.
Highly detailed nutritional recommendations are also commonly given for
various specific times of the day, such as breakfast, pre-workout, post-workout
and pre-bedtime, with lists of foods that should be eaten or avoided during those
periods for the best results.
However, despite all the conflicting and convoluted advice you may have been
exposed to over the years on this topic, the reality is that meal frequency and
timing is not something that needs to be obsessed over or micro-managed.
Beyond any specific number of meals, eating intervals or protein/carb/fat
distributions, the vast majority of your results will simply be determined by
meeting your overall calorie and macronutrient needs for the day as a whole.
Consistently hit those daily nutritional targets using a balanced mix of mostly
clean, minimally processed whole foods, and virtually any daily eating schedule
will deliver great results when it all comes down to it.
Total calorie/macronutrient intake isn’t the only thing that matters, but it’s by far
the most important factor on the dietary side of things and will probably make up
anywhere from 80-90% of your bottom line progress. Anything you do beyond
that is just a matter of optimization to fully maximize your results and round out
that last 10-20%. Even then, the few guidelines you’ll need to follow to
accomplish this are fairly straightforward and won’t require you to revolve your
entire day around your diet or needlessly nit-pick every nutritional detail.
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What are the additional meal frequency/meal timing guidelines to implement
beyond just meeting your 24 hour calorie and macronutrient needs?
The first is to ensure that you’re getting in at
least three separate protein feedings for the day
spaced out by around two to three hours or
more each. The protein doesn’t have to be
distributed perfectly evenly between all of them,
but each one should ideally contain at least 2025 grams in order to make sure that muscle
protein synthesis is being optimally stimulated
at each serving.
Just as there’s a set limit as to how much muscle
the body can build over the course of any given day, there’s also a set limit on how
much it can build as a result of any single protein feeding. Once a certain
“anabolic threshold” has been hit from a given meal and protein synthesis has
been activated (this is primarily dependent on consuming a sufficient amount of
l-leucine), any additional protein consumed from that meal will be subject to
diminishing “muscle building returns” the higher you go. Doubling the amount of
protein you consume at a particular meal, for example, will not automatically
double the rate of muscle growth.
You can certainly still gain muscle effectively by condensing all of your protein
down into a smaller number of larger meals (total protein quantity for the day is
still the most important factor here), but for optimal muscle building results
(particularly during a bulking phase), spreading your protein out over the course
of the day into at least three individual “pulses” will result in better overall
protein utilization for muscle recovery and growth.
More advanced trainees who are trying to squeeze out every ounce of
hypertrophy possible (or those who simply prefer eating a greater number of
meals just based on personal preference) can go even higher at 4-6 protein
feedings per day, though the additional gain that would be produced from this
would likely be very marginal (if anything). For that reason, going out of your way
to increase your meal frequency beyond three per day would be considered as
more of a “just in case” type of approach for the most serious of trainees who are
looking to gain every potential muscle building edge they can.
If you really do prefer larger/less frequent feedings and would rather stick with a
more condensed eating structure for whatever reason, do keep in mind once
again that this will still produce significant muscle building results regardless.
Consuming three separate meals and spacing your protein intake out during the
day is not a “make or break” strategy by any means; it’s simply what would be
considered optimal if your goal is to build muscle and gain strength at the very
fastest rate.
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It should also be noted that while a slightly increased meal frequency may be
useful in terms of optimizing muscle growth, it likely won’t make any noticeable
difference when it comes specifically to fat loss. Eating more often throughout the
day does not measurably increase 24 hour basal metabolic rate (calories burned
at rest) or the thermic effect of food (calories burned during digestion) and does
lead to greater overall fat breakdown.
So, if cutting is your primary goal and you find that you can adhere more easily
to, say, two bigger meals per day (such as with intermittent fasting), that will
likely be the superior approach for you regardless of any slight potential
reduction in protein synthesis, since it will maximize the chances that you’ll
actually stick to your diet over the long term
The next meal timing optimization guideline is
in regards to pre-workout and post-workout
nutrition. Although the importance of these
two periods tends to be over exaggerated in
most typical “mainstream” fitness literature,
getting in a proper meal before and after
training is a useful dietary strategy
nonetheless as it will provide your body with
the calories and nutrients needed to maximize
performance in the gym as well as subsequent
recovery.
Despite all the highly detailed guidelines that are commonly outlined for this
though -involving various “ideal” food sources and supplements that must be
consumed in specific combinations and during certain precise time frames proper pre and post-workout nutrition is actually very simple when you break it
all down piece by piece.
In the case of pre-workout nutrition, simply pair up any basic protein source
(whether it’s a solid food or shake) with any basic carbohydrate source (whether
it’s a fruit or starch) and consume it within 1-2 ½ hours prior to your workout.
Nothing fancy is required here, and virtually any protein/carb combination of
your choice will get the job done just fine. For example, chicken/rice,
fish/potatoes, tofu/quinoa, protein bar/banana, or a blended smoothie are all
perfectly acceptable choices as a pre-workout meal.
This will provide your body with the amino acids necessary to ward off muscle
breakdown during the session, along with the fuel needed to boost your strength
and energy levels for optimal training performance. The inclusion of a preworkout supplement for additional strength, energy and focus can also be utilized
as an optional add-on, and this will be covered in detail in the supplementation
section in chapter 6.
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You can simply base the size and spacing of your pre-workout meal on personal
preference in terms of what feels best for you, whether it’s a smaller to more
moderate sized meal and whether it’s consumed closer to or further away from
your session. One thing to keep in mind though is that the fat and fiber content of
this meal should ideally be kept on the lower end if you’ll be consuming it in close
proximity to your workout, as these slow down the movement of foods from the
stomach to the small intestine and will increase the chances of unwanted bloating
and feelings of sluggishness during the workout.
What about training in a fasted state?
Some people choose to go this route either because they exercise first thing in the
morning and don’t have time to eat beforehand, or because they simply feel
better training on an empty stomach in general.
While this ultimately is an acceptable option if you really do prefer it, consuming
a pre-workout meal of some kind is still recommended whenever possible, as
intense weight training in a completely fasted state will increase the chances of
muscle loss during your session and is also not ideal in terms of maximizing
strength and endurance.
The potential negative impact of fasted training in these areas would likely be
modest (assuming your nutrition for the day as a whole is otherwise on point),
but it is worth taking into account if your goal is to make the most significant
progress possible. If you do want to keep your pre-workout meal as small and
simple as you can for whatever reason, 20-30 grams of whey protein (or any
other basic protein powder) consumed alongside a light carb source (piece of
fruit, small serving of oatmeal etc.) is a good option.
Another common reason why people may opt to perform their workouts
(particularly cardio) in a fasted state is due to the misguided belief that it will
help them lose fat more effectively while they train. Since there is no food coming
in to draw energy from, it would make sense on the surface that this should force
the body to tap into its existing fat stores as a primary source of fuel.
However, the body is an extremely intricate and dynamic system, and its use of
fuel during exercise is constantly changing based on a variety of factors involving
many different hormones and enzymes. Attempting to burn a significant amount
of additional body fat by simply exercising on an empty stomach is a huge over
simplification of a far more complex bigger picture.
Fasted training does appear to increase lipolysis (the amount of fat that is broken
down), but does not increase fat oxidation (the amount of fat burned). In other
words, fasted training causes the body to break down more fat than it can actually
use for energy. When it comes to fat loss, the limiting factor is fat oxidation and
not lipolysis. In the end, those fatty acids that aren’t used for fuel are simply restored as body fat.
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Not only does fasted training not appear to increase fat loss during exercise, but it
may actually have the opposite effect by lowering overall training intensity and
reducing the total number of calories burned as a result. In addition, it appears
that even if a higher percentage of fat is burned during an exercise session, the
body will preferentially utilize more carbohydrates for fuel later on in the day
anyway, and vice versa.
The bottom line here is that if you want to go the fasted training route based on
personal preference (despite the potential downsides mentioned) then that is an
option to consider, but if you’re doing it as a way of improving fat loss, your
efforts are likely going to waste for that purpose. When it all comes down to it,
your net gains or losses in body fat will primarily be determined by total net
energy balance in the big picture; not by minor fluctuations in fat or carbohydrate
usage during short spans of 30-60 minutes.
Now, what about post-workout nutrition?
This is often considered to be the single most “critical” period of the day when it
comes to meal timing, commonly referred to as the “anabolic window” where fast
absorbing protein and carbohydrates should be quickly ingested to kickstart the
muscle recovery and growth process. This is usually recommended in the form of
a liquid post workout shake consumed within about 30 minutes after training,
followed by a solid food meal or two in the hours that follow.
However, while consuming some protein and carbohydrates during the postworkout period certainly is a useful meal timing strategy for optimizing your
overall results, it’s far from the “do or die” scenario that so many make it out to
be.
First off, it’s important to keep in mind that protein digestion is a fairly slow and
gradual process from start to finish, and it requires many hours before the
protein in any particular meal has been fully broken down into its individual
amino acid components and released into the bloodstream. This means that if
you consumed a standard pre-workout meal within a couple hours of your
session, the amino acids from that meal are still being absorbed by the body even
after your workout has ended. For that reason, it’s not critical that an additional
serving of protein be consumed immediately post-workout.
Secondly, although there technically is an “anabolic window” of sorts where
nutrient uptake into the muscle cells will be enhanced as a result of training, this
period actually spans for quite a few hours and doesn’t rapidly “expire” if you fail
to slam a protein shake within 15 minutes of finishing your workout. A postworkout meal consumed within a couple hours after training will be sufficient,
and even waiting slightly longer would not have any serious negative impact in
the context of proper 24 hour nutrition.
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Another post-workout nutrition concern that is often brought up is on the issue
of glycogen replenishment. As mentioned earlier, glycogen is the stored form of
carbohydrate found in the muscles and liver that the body uses as fuel during
anaerobic activities like weightlifting. Many trainees believe that they must
immediately consume a large serving of carbohydrates in the post-workout
period to re-stock the body’s glycogen levels that were depleted during the
session.
However, a standard weight training workout only uses up approximately 3040% of the body’s stored glycogen, and even then, there’s no need to immediately
replenish that glycogen unless you were planning to train the same muscle
groups again later that day. This would be a legitimate concern for hard-training
athletes performing multiple exhaustive workouts over a relatively short period of
time, but not for the average gym goer who is simply performing 3-4 standard
weight training sessions a week with a bit of extra cardio mixed in. By consuming
a basic post-workout meal and then resuming your regular eating plan
afterwards, those glycogen levels will be automatically replenished on their own
within a few hours without needing to specifically worry about it.
Putting all of this information together, proper post-workout nutrition should
follow the same basic template as was outlined for pre-workout nutrition: just
take any basic protein and carbohydrate combination of your choice and
consume it within 1-2 ½ hours after your workout has ended. You don’t need any
fancy “post-workout shakes” as is commonly recommended (though if you prefer
a shake at this time then that’s fine too), and eating a regular solid food meal such
as steak/rice, chicken/potatoes, seafood/pasta or a higher protein plant-based
combination will be just as effective. It certainly won’t kill you if you wait 3 hours
or 3 ½ hours, but you should ideally try to consume it a bit sooner if you can.
This post-workout meal will provide your body with the amino acids required to
stimulate protein synthesis and support the recovery process, the insulin release
needed to halt muscle breakdown, and the carbohydrates necessary to begin restocking glycogen levels. After you’ve consumed your post-workout meal, you can
simply continue on with your regular nutrition plan from there.
When it comes to the topic of meal frequency and timing, the three basic
guidelines we’ve just covered regarding daily protein distribution, pre-workout
nutrition and post-workout nutrition are all you really need to know in order to
maximize your overall results. How you lay things out beyond that is completely
up to you and should simply be based on personal preference in terms of your
individual schedule, appetite and what you enjoy most.
Before we move on to the next topic of this chapter, let’s quickly round this
section out by clearing up three other questions that are commonly asked on the
issue of calorie and macronutrient timing…
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Question #1: “Shouldn’t I lower my calories in the evening in order to prevent
fat gain since I’ll be less active at that time?”
You can certainly cut back a bit if going lighter on food is more comfortable for
you in the later hours, but it won’t make any difference when it comes to your
bottom line body fat levels. Net fat loss or fat gain will still be dictated by total
calorie intake vs. calorie expenditure in the overall picture, and whether you burn
more fat earlier in the day and store more later on or vice versa, the final result is
still going to be the same. Your body is consuming X amount of energy for the day
and is expending Y amount of energy, and that energy is going to be used up one
way or another over the course of 24 hours.
When it comes to your total caloric intake and its effects on fat loss/fat gain, it’s
what happens in the larger picture over the course of the entire day or several
days that truly matters – not what happens in the span of a few hours.
Consuming a higher percentage of calories in the evening would result in a
greater amount of immediate fat storage at that time (since you won’t be as
physically active), but it would still balance out overall since your body would
have burned a greater amount of fat earlier on in the day when the calories were
lower, as well as during the following morning and afternoon.
The only thing to consider here is that larger meals consumed very close to
bedtime can often interfere with sleep quality, so it usually isn’t best to load up on
calories right before dozing off. A moderate sized meal within a couple hours of
bed is usually the better approach for getting the deepest and most restful sleep
possible.
Question #2: “What about morning nutrition? I thought breakfast was
considered to be the most important meal of the day?”
This is yet another piece of “conventional” nutritional advice that is continually
thrown around despite lacking any real evidence to support it. Given equal
calorie/macronutrient intake for the day, it makes no real difference whether you
eat immediately after waking up or push your first meal until a bit later on.
Breakfast does not “kick start your metabolism” in any special way as is
commonly claimed (remember that meal frequency and timing has no effect on
basal metabolic rate), and although fasting for a significant portion of the day is
likely not ideal for maximizing muscle growth, waiting a few hours to eat after
waking up isn’t going to be a cause for concern.
In some people, skipping breakfast actually has a positive effect on appetite and
results in fewer total calories being eaten for the day as a whole, and if your
primary goal is to lose fat then this is something you can optionally experiment
with.
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Although observational research has found that breakfast eaters generally are
healthier than non-breakfast eaters, these studies only demonstrate correlation
rather than direct causation. In other words, these people aren’t healthier
because they eat breakfast – rather, the type of person who would be more
inclined to eat breakfast would also be someone who follows a healthier diet and
lifestyle in general. Breakfast eaters are more likely to come from a higher
socioeconomic profile than those who don’t and will be more likely to follow
“traditional” health advice such as exercising, eating fruits/vegetables, and not
skipping breakfast.
In fact, some evidence even suggests that skipping breakfast and pushing your
first meal until later on can have certain health benefits such as reducing
inflammation, improving cardiovascular health, decreasing blood pressure and
lowering cholesterol. The jury is still out on just how significant these effects are,
but the central point is that there’s no real reason to assume that breakfast is
“healthy” in any specific way, or that skipping breakfast will have a negative
impact on health markers.
Most people don’t know this, but the very statement that “breakfast is the most
important meal of the day” was actually created by Caleb Jackson and John
Harvey Kellogg in order to promote their newly invented breakfast cereals.
If you prefer to have a regular breakfast meal soon after waking up then that’s
fine, but pushing your first meal until a bit later isn’t going to hurt you either. The
best thing you can do is to test out both approaches for yourself and see which
one you prefer.
Question #3: “That covers the topic of meal frequency and timing over a 24
hour period, but what about my nutritional intake on workout days versus rest
days?”
While some will advise that you “cycle” your calories by consuming more on the
days you train (since your body will require more energy to fuel your workouts
and to facilitate recovery) and less on rest days (since you won’t be as active), this
is yet another unnecessary “micromanagement” strategy that will only make your
diet more complicated than it needs to be.
If you’d rather eat a bit more on workout days and less on rest days just out of
personal preference then you can go right ahead (assuming the daily calories still
average out to the same amount) but from a muscle building and fat burning
perspective it’s a completely optional way of structuring things.
People tend to categorize things in terms of individual days (for example, a
“good” day of eating or a “bad” day of eating) simply because that’s the primary
way that we organize our time. However, whether your goal is to bulk up and put
on muscle or to lean down and lose body fat, your results in either direction are
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not going to be measurably affected by a few hundred calories more or a few
hundred calories less within small blocks of 24 hours.
Once again, fat loss and muscle gain are not “on/off” switches. It’s not as if you’re
“building muscle” one day and then “maintaining muscle” the next, or “burning
fat” one day and then “maintaining” the next. Rather, your body is in a constant
state of both muscle growth and muscle breakdown, as well as a constant state of
both fat burning and fat storage. It’s the total sum of all of these processes in the
bigger picture that will determine your bottom line body composition.
Also remember that muscle growth doesn’t happen specifically in the gym or only
on the days that you train. Muscle breakdown is what occurs in the gym, and the
body then recovers and rebuilds those muscles larger and stronger over the
course of the next few days. For that reason, sufficient calories and protein are
needed not only on workout days, but also during rest days to support optimal
recovery and growth.
Not only is expending your energy on cycling calories simply unnecessary, but it
could even have a negative impact over the longer term by making your diet plan
more difficult to follow. Constantly raising and lowering your calories from day to
day requires more effort to accurately track in comparison to just maintaining a
steady intake, and the more complicated your nutritional approach is, the less
likely you’ll be to stick to it over the long haul.
Your goal when structuring your diet should be to only make it as complicated as
it absolutely needs to be, and to eliminate the inessentials. That way you can
place all of your focus on the things that truly matter, and get the maximum
benefit while utilizing your time and energy in the most efficient way.
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NUTRITIONAL TRACKING
You now have all the key fundamentals in place for your bulking or cutting diet.
You know how many calories to consume each day along with the proper
macronutrient targets, recommended food sources, meal frequency/timing
guidelines and flexible dieting principles.
The final step in tying this all together is in regards to proper nutritional tracking.
In other words, just how closely will you need to monitor your diet each day to get
the results you’re after, and what is the best way to go about it? Should you track
all of your individual macros down to the exact gram? Count total calories only?
Or eat intuitively and just estimate things as you go?
There technically isn’t one black and white answer here that will apply to every
single person across the board, so let’s go over the topic as a whole and discuss
what type of approach will be appropriate based on a few different scenarios.
The first thing to keep in mind here is that, in the long run, most people will
ultimately want to gravitate toward as “intuitive” an eating style as they
reasonably can. It’s not realistic (or necessary) that you’ll be tracking exact
calories and macros for the rest of your life, and if you can maintain a physique
that you’re happy with while eating based purely on feel, that’s obviously the ideal
situation since it’s the most efficient method and involves the least amount of
conscious effort.
Eating intuitively means that you’ll simply eyeball your meals and base your food
choices and portion sizes on your own estimations of the nutritional content,
your body’s hunger signals and your own personal fitness goals. You won’t be
specifically measuring all of your meals or logging your exact nutritional numbers
throughout the day - you’ll just keep it in your head and approximate things as
you go.
However, while eating intuitively (or at least mostly intuitively) is the ultimate
goal to shoot for over the longer term, it’s typically only suited to more advanced
trainees who have learned how to do it effectively through experience first. This
means they’ve tracked calories and macros in the past (giving them a good idea as
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to which foods and portion sizes contain what), they know how their body
responds at various calorie totals, and they know how to adjust their intake based
on hunger levels and other feedback. If you’re still in the novice to intermediate
stages of your program, you’ll almost certainly be better off by monitoring your
intake a bit more closely and utilizing a more structured method of dietary
tracking.
Less experienced trainees who simply try to estimate things on the fly without
any concrete tracking in place are usually getting ahead of themselves and will
tend to over-eat or under-eat based on their needs. In fact, a lack of proper
nutritional structure is one of the single biggest reasons why the majority of
people ultimately fail to reach their fitness goals in the long run. Monitoring your
diet with a reasonable level of detail will ensure that you’re landing on the proper
totals for yourself each day, and will also keep you accountable so that you can
see firsthand when you’re going too high or too low on calories or certain
macronutrients.
Just how detailed should you track things for the best results?
One option is to just go the commonly used route of counting all your calories
and macros down to the specific gram amount. Using this approach, you’ll have
exact daily macronutrient goals in place and will log how many grams of protein,
carbs and fats you’re eating in order to meet those specific numbers. Hitting your
protein and carbohydrate targets within 10 grams give or take would be
considered close enough with this method, with fat landing at 5 grams give or
take.
The benefit of this approach is that it has the lowest margin for error. Counting
exact macros will ensure that you’re being as accurate as possible with your
eating plan and aren’t leaving anything to chance. It’s also the fastest way to
“learn the ropes” nutrition wise since it will give you the greatest feel for which
foods and portion sizes contain what, putting you in the best position to
eventually gravitate to a more intuitive style of eating.
The downside is that it does require a fairly high amount of focus and attention to
detail (particularly in the beginning stages), since you’ll have to log the specific
macronutrient breakdown for every single food item you consume. Many people
will find this to be a bit overwhelming (if not altogether unsustainable) since their
days end up revolving so heavily around monitoring their diet. You can have the
best nutrition plan in the world in terms of structure and effectiveness, but it
won’t do you any good if it ends up burning you out and causes you to quit longer
term.
If you are someone who thrives on attention to detail and prefers the
organizational aspect that comes with logging everything in a very precise
manner, then tracking macros is still a viable option you can go with, at least to
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start. A certain percentage of people will do just fine with regular macro counting
and will find the set structure to be more motivating since they’ll know that
they’re accurately meeting all of their nutritional needs without any guesswork
involved.
For most trainees in most situations though, a slightly looser “middle ground”
approach is generally best, especially considering that hitting exact macros right
down to a perfect gram amount is not necessary to build muscle and lose fat
effectively in the first place. As long as your protein/carb/fat intake is reasonably
balanced in the big picture and you’re not actively restricting or going overboard
on any specific one, inter-changing the amounts a bit won’t be a big deal
assuming the overall calorie total is still on point.
As we already discussed earlier in this chapter, total calorie intake is by far the
most critical principle in your nutrition plan beyond any specific macronutrient
breakdown. Whether you eat exactly 185p/235c/80f or 165p/265c/75f or
175p/280c/65f is likely not going to make a noticeable difference to your results
if it all still equals out to 2400 calories in the end as with this example.
For these reasons, a more sustainable (yet equally effective) nutritional tracking
approach would be to place the majority of your focus on simply hitting your
daily calorie target, and then just roughly estimating your macros by ensuring
that you’re meeting your minimum requirements for protein and fat. Protein and
fat are the two “essential” macros that you must make sure you’re getting enough
of each day and to where going too low can have real consequences. Getting in
enough carbohydrates is still important, but it’s the most flexible macro of the
three and will automatically fall into place if your protein and fat numbers are
roughly around the right level.
As we outlined previously, you should be aiming for at least 0.8 grams of protein
per pound of body weight daily and getting around 25% of your total calories
from fat. Going a bit higher on protein and/or fat is fine (up to about 1-1.2 grams
of protein is acceptable, as is up to 30-35% of calories from fat), but just make
sure you’re at least hitting those minimum recommended figures.
Usually if you just base each of your meals around a standard protein and
carbohydrate pairing and then add in a couple sources of healthy fat throughout
the day, your protein and fat minimums will tend to take care of themselves on
their own. This is especially true if you’re eating in a surplus since you’ll have
more total calories to work with and there will be less of a chance that you’ll
under-shoot your requirements. When eating in a deficit you’ll want to be a bit
more careful and consciously double check things since there will be a larger
margin for error due to the lower calorie total involved.
In any case, this level of tracking - counting calories but only roughly
approximating your macros - is detailed enough to produce optimal or very-near-
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optimal muscle building and fat burning results, but simple enough that you
won’t need to revolve your entire day around food and count everything in
precise detail. This is much easier to do in comparison to logging every single
gram of protein, carbs and fats you’re eating and trying to make them land on an
exact daily figure, and it’s a more practical and realistic approach for most people
to follow.
Make no mistake though - calories absolutely are important and they do need to
be landing at the proper level throughout the week if you want to see significant
progress. If you fail to track your calories accurately and end up with too large or
too small a calorie surplus or calorie deficit, your results will no doubt be
negatively affected or potentially even erased altogether. So, although a decent
amount of leeway on the macronutrient side of things is fine, don’t overlook the
importance of calories as they truly are the “make or break” aspect of your
nutrition plan.
If you’re still a beginner then you may even find calorie counting alone to be a
little tedious at first, but just keep in mind that it will become increasingly easier
over time, particularly if you tend to eat similar foods and meals each day.
Properly tracking calories is no different from learning any other skill, and if
you’re just willing to put in the work up front, you’ll quickly find that it actually
isn’t very difficult to do.
Eventually as you gain more and more experience, hitting your calories and
approximate macros each day will just become second nature, and further down
the line you may not need to specifically track anything at all. This is especially
true once you’ve come close to reaching your desired physique goals, since eating
for maintenance is a lot easier to do than eating for active muscle growth or fat
loss.
In order to find the specific nutritional breakdown for the foods you’ll be eating
and properly log your daily intake, you can use a nutrition tracking app such as
MyFitnessPal or Cronometer, an online website like CalorieKing.com, and/or just
check the nutrition labels on each item and log things manually. You can also
utilize the step by step meal plans included with the Body Transformation
Blueprint package, as those lay out full days of structured eating at various calorie
levels that you can simply print off and follow.
It’s also recommended that you purchase a basic food scale and use that to weigh
out your meals when eating at home. This might sound a bit like micro-managing
to some people, but it doesn’t require any more work than using regular
measuring cups and will ensure that you’re getting in the proper portion sizes for
each food item. Measuring cups and spoons measure volume rather than weight,
and they can often be inaccurate depending on the shape of the item you’re trying
to measure or how tightly it’s packed into the cup. This won’t be a big deal if it
only happens here and there, but add up these inaccurate measurements over the
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course of several meals a day for the entire week, and it legitimately can have an
impact on your bottom line nutrition totals.
For example, one cup of brown rice should deliver about 195 grams of total
weight and provide 216 calories. But measure out that one cup of rice using a
regular measuring cup and then measure the actual weight using a food scale,
and you’ll often find that the amounts differ quite a bit.
Very calorically dense items such as nuts and nut butters are an even better
example of this. One tablespoon of peanut butter should deliver 15 grams of total
weight and about 100 calories, but since many people’s idea of what constitutes a
“tablespoon of peanut butter” can vary significantly (especially depending on how
hungry they are), you could end up with as much as double the intended amount
if you don’t specifically weigh it.
A food scale will keep you accountable since there’s no way to “cheat” the
measurement, making it the ideal choice if you’re truly serious about tracking
your diet properly and optimizing your results. Any basic digital scale that
measures both grams and ounces and that has a “reset to 0” feature will work just
fine for this purpose.
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EATING OUT
Accurate nutritional tracking is a fairly simple and straightforward process when
preparing your own meals from home. You’ll know all of the exact foods you’re
eating along with the precise quantities for each and can simply measure them on
your scale to get the proper calorie and macro totals. Staying on point with your
nutrition while eating out at restaurants and social gatherings, on the other hand,
is usually a bit trickier. Many restaurants don’t have nutritional information
available for their meals, and it can often be tough to pin down exactly what’s on
your plate and how to fit it into your diet for the day.
Fortunately, with a bit of planning and a few simple techniques, you can enjoy
eating out with friends and family (or simply on your own as part of your regular
diet) without it being a source of stress and while still reaching your muscle
building and fat burning goals in the process.
First off, just how closely you’ll need to track your nutrition while eating out
largely depends on how often you’re doing it. If it’s only a one or two time a week
occasion, getting hung up on the precise nutritional totals won’t be necessary.
Rough estimations along with a bit of basic self control are all you’ll really need,
and as long as you’re able to ballpark it somewhat accurately, that will be
sufficient in the overall picture.
This is especially true if we’re talking about infrequent special occasions like
holidays, birthdays and once-in-a-while family get togethers. Heavily restrict
yourself and begin obsessing over calorie going into your mouth and all you’ll be
doing is adding an extra layer of unnecessary stress that detracts from the whole
experience. Remember, fitness should be used to enhance the enjoyment of your
life rather than being a source of anxiety.
On the other hand, if you’re eating out multiple days a week or even every single
day, then yes, you’ll need to dial things in more closely in order to keep your
nutritional intake on track. Given that a proper calorie deficit for fat loss only
involves eating around 350-500 calories below maintenance - and that a proper
calorie surplus for muscle growth usually lands around 100-300 calories above
maintenance - all it takes is a few tracking errors throughout the day to really
throw those numbers off.
For example, if you’re routinely eating a restaurant meal that contains 250
calories more than you thought (two extra tablespoons of cooking oil on its own is
enough to do this), that could potentially cut your calorie deficit in half right
there. Or, if your goal is to gain muscle, it could double the size of your calorie
surplus and lead to excessive fat gain over the long term.
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So, how exactly should you go about tracking your meals when you don’t have
access to the nutritional breakdowns and specific quantities? While keeping in
mind that tracking calories in these situations will never be 100% perfect, here
are the four main options you can utilize…
Option #1: Run an online search to see if the restaurant has nutritional
information available for their meals.
Many restaurants (especially larger chains) post their menus and nutritional info
on their websites. If you’re able to find the calorie and macro breakdown of the
meal you’ll be eating, you’re all set and can simply use that information. It still
won’t be 100% accurate in most cases since portion sizes often vary, but it’ll be
close enough and almost certainly more accurate than trying to estimate it on
your own.
Option #2: If the restaurant has no nutritional information available, download a
calorie-tracking app such as MyFitnessPal or Cronometer and see if you can find
a similar meal in their database.
For example, if you were eating a chicken quesadilla, you could find plenty of
other restaurants with a comparable version that would likely have a similar
nutritional profile. This of course isn’t going to be perfect, but it’ll give you a
rough estimate to go by and will be an acceptable method to use for meals that
you’re only having once in a while.
Option #3: If you can’t find any results for a particular dish, estimate the portion
size of each ingredient and look them up individually.
For the chicken quesadilla example, you’d look up the nutritional info for a
tortilla, a similar portion of chicken, cheese and whatever else is included and
then add them all together.
When you’re making these sorts of calculations, keep in mind that it’s almost
always better to overestimate rather than underestimate. This is because
restaurant meals often have a lot of “hidden calories” included from things like
oils, sugars, sauces etc.
Option #4: If all else fails, just eyeball it and make your own judgment call as best
you can.
If you’re eating a meal that is more complex and contains many different
elements that are hard to separate, you’ll just have to estimate it on your own.
Although this is often challenging for beginners, it’s still better than nothing and
is something you’ll become more skilled at as you gain further experience.
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As outlined in the previous step, you’ll usually be better off to underestimate the
calorie total rather than overestimate it, since most restaurant meals are typically
higher calorie that you’d think. In any case, if you’re only eating out once in a
while, being off by a couple hundred calories is not going to be a cause for
concern in the bigger picture and isn’t something that should be stressed over.
If you are planning to head out and enjoy a higher calorie restaurant meal but
want to keep your nutrition as closely dialed in as possible, one useful tip you can
follow is to eat a bit lighter throughout the earlier portion of the day. As
mentioned in the previous section regarding alcohol consumption, eating fewer
calories at breakfast and during the earlier afternoon hours will create a “buffer”
for later where you can enjoy a more calorie-dense meal with less of a chance of
going overboard for the day.
Drinking water before and during your meal, starting off with a low calorie salad,
and/or ordering some extra veggies on the side are a few additional ways to fill
yourself up a bit while keeping the total calories more under control during your
main meal.
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COURSE CORRECTION
You can have all the nutritional knowledge in the world and a properly laid out,
step-by-step plan to follow, but one thing remains certain regardless: sometimes
you’re going to go off track with your diet. Expecting your nutrition to be
perfectly on point 100% of the time is simply unrealistic (nor is it even necessary
in order to achieve your physique goals in the first place), and no matter how
disciplined you might be, there will inevitably be times where you stray from your
plan.
Maybe you were on the go and didn’t have access to the proper foods, maybe you
miscalculated the calories in a certain meal, or maybe you just flat out gave in to
temptation and over-ate purely for the sake of it. In any case, what should you do
to get back on course with things after going too high or too low on total calories
for the day?
Well, the first and most important thing is to
not beat yourself up and get overly stressed
out about it. In keeping with the “big picture”
theme we’ve mentioned several times already,
always remember that your overall results will
ultimately be determined by what you do most
of the time over the longer term.
If you’re regularly over-eating or under-eating
and failing to meet your nutritional goals on a consistent basis, then yes, that
certainly will add up and offset your progress in a measurable away, if not
eliminate it altogether. However, if you’re hitting your calorie targets with
reasonably accuracy the majority of the time, a “bad” day of eating or two is not
going to be enough to have any significant negative impact on your results.
Muscle building and fat burning success is never going to be perfectly linear from
A to B, and a few blips on the radar is no big deal so long as the general trend is
moving in the right direction.
In order to cause any real measurable “damage” to your physique, you’d have to
over-eat or under-eat by a pretty significant margin and do so for a longer term
period of at least several days on end up to a week or more. Even then, you’d be
able to reverse that damage fairly easily once your nutrition was back on track.
This is especially true if we’re only talking about relatively modest amounts of
around 500-1000 calories above or below your intended intake. For example,
let’s say your daily target for fat loss was set at 1800 calories and you instead ate
2300 on a particular day. In this case, adding 500 calories to your regular intake
would essentially just mean that you ate at your calorie maintenance level,
assuming you’re following the standard recommended deficit of 500 calories
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below maintenance. There would simply be no fat loss or fat gain in this situation,
and the day could just be considered a wash.
Even if you were to eat 1000 calories over your target, you’d still only be looking
at a net 500 calorie surplus, which is hardly anything on its own when you
consider that a single pound of stored fat contains about 3500 calories. Not only
that, but even if you do eat above maintenance on a particular day while cutting,
it’s not as if all the extra calories you consume will end up being stored as pure
body fat. Since you’ll be performing regular weight training as part of your
program, at least a couple hundred of the extra calories you take in will be
diverted to muscle growth as a result of having that training stimulus in place.
The same things holds true in the opposite direction for those whose primary goal
is to build muscle but fail to meet their caloric surplus target. If you’re in a
bulking phase and under-eat for a short term period, the majority (if not all) of
what you’d end up losing would actually be body fat rather than muscle mass
assuming you’re continuing to weight train and are consuming sufficient protein.
For all of these reasons, adjusting your intake in order to “make up” for falling
slightly off course in the short term shouldn’t be necessary in most cases. Instead,
it’s usually best to just acknowledge it as an inevitable part of the process, do the
best you can to minimize how often it happens, and get back on track from there.
If your body weight does suddenly shoot up the day after a “cheat meal” or two,
also keep in mind that most of this is simply due to an increase in water retention
from the additional carbs and sodium and is not a result of actual fat gain. Your
physique may also appear a bit softer and “puffier” looking, but again, this is just
simple water weight that will flush out on its own within a day or two of resuming
your regular diet.
That said, if you’re on a set deadline and are aiming to get into a specific shape by
certain date, or if you thrive on a more “perfectionist” approach and would prefer
to undo whatever very minor regression may have occurred, re-adjusting your
calories the day or two after a slip-up is an option.
For example, if you’re in a cutting phase and went over your target by 600
calories on a particular day, you could reduce your intake by 600 the following
day or 300 the following two days in order to keep your total deficit fully on track.
Your calorie intake doesn’t need to be perfectly consistent from day to day in
order to build muscle and lose fat effectively, and what’s much more important is
your average calorie intake spread out over the course of several days. Whether
you eat exactly 2000 calories every single day, or whether it’s 1800, 2300 and
1900 over the course of three days (still averaging out to 2000 per day), your
bottom line results aren’t going to be affected in any noticeable way. You should
ideally make an effort to keep things relatively steady overall, but a modest ebb
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and flow of a few hundred calories give or take from day to day won’t be a
problem.
Aside from adjusting your calorie intake, the other option to make up for a
temporary period of over-eating is to perform some additional cardio to
compensate. While simply reducing your food intake in the days that follow is
usually the most efficient route since there’s no extra time investment involved,
using cardio to burn off some (or all) of the extra calories you ate is another
viable method if you prefer it.
When it comes to course correcting after over-eating during a bulking phase,
you’d need to create a calorie deficit equal to whatever number of calories you
exceeded your daily calorie target by. For example, if you were bulking on 2800
calories and consumed 3800 instead, it would require a 1000 calorie deficit over
the course of the next day or two (or more) to “undo” any potential fat gain that
may have occurred. This is definitely what would be considered as nutritional
“micro-managing” and isn’t something the vast majority of trainees should be
bothering with in most cases, but technically speaking that is what you’d do if you
were wanting to keep things 100% consistent.
In the case of under-eating, this will almost never happen while in a cutting phase
since your hunger levels will be higher in a deficit and it’s unlikely that you’ll
forgo the opportunity to eat if you still have calories remaining for the day.
However, if this does happen for some reason and you feel particularly hungry
the next day, you can increase your calories by whatever amount you had left over
from the previous day. If you feel fine hunger-wise, then you can simply continue
on as normal. Nothing negative will happen in this case, and you’ll simply lose a
tiny bit of extra fat from the larger deficit you had in place the day before.
If you’re on a bulk and under-eat, you can slightly increase your intake the
following day or two, though this should only be done up to a limited point.
Remember that you can’t “force feed” muscle growth, and your body can only
make use of a finite number of calories over any given period even if you did eat a
bit less the previous day.
So, if you fail to hit your calorie needs on a given day for bulking, you can slightly
increase your calorie intake during the next 24-48 hours up to a maximum
amount of double your prescribed calorie surplus. For example, if you’re a
beginner who is eating in a 300 calorie surplus, that would mean an extra 300
calories at most the following day, or an extra 150 over the course of the following
two days.
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CONSISTENCY TIPS
While falling off track with your diet from time to time is inevitable and shouldn’t
be a cause for concern in the bigger picture, it doesn’t change the fact that you’ll
still need to be decently on point with your nutrition the majority of the time if
you’re serious about achieving real results.
Now that you’ve learned everything you need to know in terms of the step by step
mechanics behind eating for effective muscle growth and fat loss, we’ll finish this
chapter off outlining a few important tips you can employ to maximize your
overall consistency from week to week. It doesn’t matter how perfect your
calories and macros are or how “healthy” your diet is; if you don’t carry out your
plan in a way that is sustainable over the long term, your chances for success will
be greatly diminished.
What are some things you can do to streamline your nutrition and make it as
effortless to stick to as is reasonably possible? Below are twelve useful steps you
can follow.
Tip #1: Adopt the proper “beginner’s mindset”.
If you haven’t been paying much attention to your diet up until now and if
tracking calories/macros and eating healthier foods is a new habit for you, it’s
important to recognize up front that it’s going to take some time to adjust.
Don’t expect to just jump right into it and have everything be 100% smoothsailing from the get go. If you do, there’s a good chance that you’ll quickly become
overwhelmed and discouraged. There is a learning curve involved here, and you
have to be willing to “grind out” those initial stages to get a proper handle on
things and really learn how it all works.
The first few weeks will probably involve moments where you feel a bit frustrated
and confused trying to keep everything organized, but just keep in mind that this
is completely natural and is something everyone has to go through. As time goes
on things will gradually get easier and easier, and eventually it will just become
an ingrained habit that you won’t need to think too much about it.
Tip #2: Don’t expect perfection from your diet.
We’ve touched on this in several sections now, but it’s worth mentioning here one
last time since it’s so important. Proper nutrition comes down to what you do
most of the time over the longer term, and as long as you’re progressing in the
right direction at an acceptable pace, minor dietary slip ups here and there are no
big deal.
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Many people start out very diligently with their eating plan for the first few
weeks, but then the second one thing goes off course, they believe they’ve
committed a huge sin and that their diet is doomed to fail. This is absolutely not
the case, and if you allow yourself to become overly stressed out by simply
missing a meal here and there, going over or under your calories on some days or
unintentionally “cheating” on your nutrition plan at times, you’re eventually
going to burn out and quit. Or, if you are able to stick to things despite having
this sort of “overly obsessive” mindset towards nutrition, you won’t be in a
healthy place mentally and food will become a source of anxiety rather than
something you enjoy.
You’ll obviously want to do the best you can to minimize how often these dietary
slip ups occur, but when they do inevitably happen, it’s best to just accept it as
normal part of the long term process, move on, and focus on what’s in front of
you rather than needlessly dwelling.
Tip #3: Optimize your daily meal layout.
As we covered in the previous section, simply hitting your total calorie and
macronutrient needs for the day as a whole is by far the most important
nutritional guideline beyond any set meal frequency/timing protocol. You should
ideally be splitting things up into three separate protein feedings with a proper
pre and post workout meal within reasonable proximity to your training sessions,
but beyond that, it mostly just comes down to personal preference.
Despite all the misleading information circulating around that tries to state
otherwise, the reality is that there is no such thing as any “special” sequence of
meals and nutrients you must consume at precise times of the day to maximize
your results. All this will really do is over-complicate your nutrition plan and
force you to expend unnecessary mental energy trying to line up your food intake
in a way that you potentially don’t enjoy or that doesn’t work well with your day
to day lifestyle.
A far better approach is to take a look at your individual daily schedule, appetite
and personal eating preferences, and then just lay your meals out in whatever
way is as convenient and sustainable for you as possible. If you like larger/less
frequent meals or smaller meals/more frequent meals, if you prefer eating more
of your calories earlier or later in the day, or if there are certain time periods
when it’s easier or harder for you to get your meals in, that’s all fine as long as
you’re meeting your total calorie and macro needs by the end of the day.
Relieving yourself of any one set “meal timing” burden and simply mapping out
your meals based on your own individual circumstances will significantly
improve your chances for long term dietary adherence.
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Tip #4: Base your diet around the foods you enjoy most.
This might seem like an obvious piece of advice, yet so many trainees fall into the
trap of thinking that certain foods are somehow “mandatory” to include in their
diet. They come across a blog post or video that lists “The 10 Best Muscle
Building Foods” or “5 Superfoods That Burn Fat Fast”, and then unnecessarily
force themselves to eat those foods even if they don’t particularly enjoy them.
It is true that certain types of foods work well as part of a bulking or cutting diet
since they’re more “macro friendly” and nutrient dense, but there are an endless
list of different possible foods and food combinations you can use to meet your
daily nutritional needs. Remember that your body does not view your diet in the
context of individual food items; it only sees the big picture in regards to the total
calories, protein, carbs, fats, fiber and micronutrients.
If you simply take the time to plan out a diet that includes the food sources you
most prefer (and excludes the ones you don’t), and that allows you to hit your
daily calorie/macro needs at the same time, you’ll have the best of both worlds.
You’ll be able to achieve a great physique and while following an eating plan that
you genuinely look forward to and find satisfying. Force yourself to choke down
canned tuna, broccoli, cottage cheese, brown rice or whatever other food you
personally may not be partial to, and you’ll most likely end up sick and tired of
your diet and resenting the entire process before long.
Instead, just go through each main category of foods (protein, carbohydrates and
fats) and pick a few options within those categories that you find most appealing.
For example, if you prefer turkey versus chicken or salmon versus beef, use those
as your primary protein sources. If you’d rather have sweet potato in place of rice
for your healthy carb sources, or whole wheat pasta rather than whole grain
bread, go that route. Don’t like lettuce or asparagus? Choose from any one of the
endless number of other vegetables available and find one or more that you’d
rather eat.
No single food is a must, and no single food is going to produce any special
muscle building or fat burning benefits that you can’t obtain from other
alternatives.
Tip #5: Include recipes in your plan.
If you prefer the simplicity of basic food combinations like chicken/rice,
beef/potatoes, eggs/toast etc. then that’s fine, but another great way to improve
the enjoyment of your diet is by including a healthy recipe or two in the mix as
well. The idea that an effective muscle building or fat burning diet should
automatically be bland and boring is a completely outdated concept. Quotes such
as “food is just fuel”, “eat for results not for pleasure” or “nothing tastes as good
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as being in great shape” completely miss the simple fact that healthy, nutrient
dense meals can also taste great if you plan them out properly.
A great place to start is by browsing through The Body Transformation Blueprint
Cookbook, as this guide contains over 175 different macro-friendly food recipes
and smoothies (ranging from very simple ones that can be prepared in just
minutes to more complex variations) that can be easily fitted into your nutritional
totals for the day. Take some time and find a few that appeal to you, test them
out, and you’ll quickly find that they taste just as good as anything else you’d
normally eat.
You can also run a basic online search using Google, YouTube or any other social
media platform using terms such as “fitness recipes”, “bodybuilding recipes”,
“bulking recipes”, “cutting recipes” etc. to find even more options you can
experiment with.
If you do prefer basic food combinations but are just looking for some simple
ideas to enhance the flavor, here is a list of low calorie sauces and condiments
that work well with most standard protein/carb pairings along with the
approximate calories per tablespoon for each:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Salsa (4 cals)
Reduced Sugar Ketchup (5 cals)
Sriracha (15 cals)
Low Sodium Soy Sauce (8 cals)
Hot Sauce (5 cals)
Low Calorie Salad Dressing (5
cals)
• Natural Tomato Sauce (5 cals)
• Taco Sauce (5 cals)
• Fish Sauce (10 cals)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Oyster Sauce (9 cals)
Tzatziki Sauce (15 cals)
Mustard (5 cals)
Worcestershire Sauce (15 cals)
Vinegar (3 cals)
Gravy (8 cals)
Light Sour Cream (16 cals)
Low Carb Steak Sauce (5 cals)
Green Chili Sauce (5 cals)
Tip #6: Utilize a flexible dieting approach.
We won’t go into detail on this one since we already discussed it earlier, but
implementing the “treat food” guidelines from the previous section is another
great way to improve overall dietary consistency. Nobody “eats clean” 100% of
the time, and completely depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy most is
impractical, unrealistic and will only leave you feeling excessively restricted in the
longer term.
One of the most important mindsets to apply to your diet plan as a whole is to
stop thinking about it as a “diet” in the first place. Proper nutrition is an ongoing
way of life rather than some sort of “quick fix”, and if 80-90% of your diet is
comprised of healthy, nutrient-dense whole foods, allotting the other 10-20% to
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your favorite higher calorie foods is not going to harm your progress if it fits into
your calorie and macronutrient totals for the day.
Tip #7: Follow an exact daily meal plan.
This certainly isn’t a mandatory option or something you’ll have to do forever, but
if you’re still a beginner or are having a tough time staying consistent with your
diet, the easiest solution is to just map out exactly what you’re going to eat each
day, in what specific amounts, at what times, and then simply follow it to a T.
This way there will be zero guesswork involved, and you can go about your day
without having to put specific thought into every single meal you consume.
Not only will this ensure that you’re landing in the proper calorie and
macronutrient ranges for the day, but it will likely leave you feeling more
motivated as well since you’ll know that all you have to do is follow the plan in
front of you to get the results you’re after.
The way that you specifically employ this is up to you. For example, you can
simply create one plan and eat the same things every day until you get tired of it
and want to change things up for variety. Or, you can map out a 3-day or 7-day
plan and rotate through it during the week. Another option is to lay out a few
possible choices for each meal that have similar macronutrient profiles (for
example, three different breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners etc.), and then
choose the option you most prefer based on how you feel that day.
The Body Transformation Blueprint Meal Plans also provide a wide variety of
bulking and cutting plans ranging from 1200-4500 calories with five separate
days of eating for each level, so a very easy way to get started is to just download
those and follow along.
Tip #8: Plan your meals out in advance.
Rather than preparing every single meal individually throughout the day, another
option is to set aside one or two days a week to pre-package your meals in bulk.
That way, when it comes time to eat, you can simply reach into the fridge, grab
your pre-made food and pop it in the microwave without having to go through
the entire cooking and cleanup process every single time.
Most people find that having these concentrated periods of cooking and
packaging once or twice a week is a more efficient approach for maintaining their
diet long term, especially if they have a busy schedule or don’t particularly enjoy
cooking. You can either prepare entire meals and store them in the fridge or
freezer in Tupperware containers, or just cook up a few of your main items in
bulk to save some time.
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Tip #9: Incorporate refeed days into your plan.
For those in a cutting phase, refeed days can improve dietary adherence in the
long term by helping to offset the usual “dieting side effects” that come with an
ongoing calorie deficit, such as increased hunger and reduced energy. These side
effects are largely caused by a decrease in leptin levels, a key hormone that plays
a central role in regulating metabolic rate, appetite and energy among other
things.
A refeed day involves bumping your calories back up to your maintenance level,
with the increase coming primarily in the form of carbohydrates. This helps to
temporarily restore leptin levels and provides a nice physical and mental “reset”
that can make the overall diet easier to stick to. Since you’ll always have that
upcoming day to look forward to where you can eat a bit more and enjoy certain
foods you might otherwise typically limit (along with knowing that you’ll just
plain feel better as well), the cutting process won’t feel as restrictive and the
chances of unplanned “cheating” will be reduced.
Refeeds aren’t a must for everyone (if you’re consistently losing fat and hunger is
not an issue then you can skip them if you’d like), but for most people,
incorporating a refeed day once every 1-2 weeks is a good approach to follow.
This is especially useful as you get down to a leaner body fat percentage (around
the mid-teens for men and low-twenties for women) where increased hunger
levels and feelings of reduced energy will become more pronounced.
Tip #10: Incorporate diet breaks into your plan.
A diet break is essentially a more prollp;[,.onged, “bigger picture” version of a
refeed day where you’ll go back to your calorie maintenance level for a full 1-2
weeks for every 1-3 months of consistent dieting. The basic premise of this is the
same as it is for refeed days - to provide a physical and mental break from your
diet and alleviate some of the side effects that inevitably kick in as a result of an
ongoing calorie deficit.
You don’t need to be perfectly on point with your calorie intake during your diet
break, since taking a rest even from the process of dietary tracking itself has
psychological benefits as well. Just try to keep things reasonably under control
and eat somewhere roughly around your maintenance level without going
excessively overboard.
The ideal frequency for a diet break primarily depends on your body fat
percentage. The leaner you are, the more often you should ideally take them, and
vice versa. As an approximate guideline, men between 10-15% body fat can
employ a diet break once every
4-6 weeks, those between 15-20% can go with 8-10 weeks, and those above 20%
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can go with 12-14 weeks. Women can take the body fat figures above and add 7%
to each of them to find their appropriate ranges.
Tip #11: Increase your accountability.
Consistently reporting back to someone (or multiple people) about how closely
you’ve been following your plan can improve dietary consistency by keeping you
more accountable for your actions. When you openly announce your goals and
know that others are counting on you to follow through, there’s a greater chance
that you’ll get it done regardless of how motivated or unmotivated you might feel.
Deriving your own discipline and motivation from within without the help of
others is obviously important for longer term success, but using accountability as
a short term strategy can be quite effective nonetheless. This can be done in
several ways, such as joining online fitness forums or support groups, finding a
training partner with similar goals, publicly logging your progress using social
media platforms or apps, hiring a coach (though this should be done very
selectively since the quality of fitness coaches can vary significantly), or just
publicly announcing your goals to friends or family.
Tip #12: Start off small.
If the various guidelines outlined in this chapter seem a bit daunting right now
(this would be especially likely if your current diet has been particularly
unhealthy and disorganized for quite a while), then implementing just one or two
things at a time may work better for you in comparison to trying to tackle it all at
once.
For example, you could start by simply cutting out a couple high calorie foods or
drinks that you tend to consume on a regular basis. If sugary sodas or fast-food
meals are something you’ve become accustomed to, start by eliminating those in
favor of healthier, lower calorie options.
After that, you could focus on cleaning up the rest of your food choices by
implementing the recommended protein/carb/fat sources outlined in the
previous sections.
Next, perhaps try adding more vegetables and fruit into your diet if it’s not
something you normally do.
From there, dial things in more closely by specifically tracking how many calories
you’re eating each day until it’s consistently landing on the proper target.
Once that’s under control, get a bit more detailed by counting your individual
macronutrient numbers to ensure they’re falling within the appropriate ranges.
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There’s no single way of going about this, but you get the idea here. If you’d
rather just follow all of the recommended nutritional principles right from the
start then that’s totally fine, but taking a more gradual approach is a viable option
as well if it feels more realistic for you.
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99
INTRODUCTION
Now that you have all the proper nutritional principles in place and know exactly
what to do in the kitchen to reach your fitness goals, it’s time to cover the other
side of the muscle building and fat loss equation by explaining what you’ll need to
do in the gym.
In the same way that you can’t out-train a bad diet, good eating habits can only
take you so far if you’re following a sub-par training plan. If you want to gain
muscle, lose fat and carve out the most impressive physique possible, an
intelligently structured and properly executed weight training program is a must.
A moderate amount of additional cardio can be useful as a supplemental fat
burning tool (this will be covered in the next chapter), but weight training is by
far the most valuable form of exercise in your arsenal since it provides the basic
stimulus needed for the body to build and maintain muscle mass. A well laid out
weight training plan will maximize muscle hypertrophy and minimize fat gains
during a bulking phase, or in the case of a cutting phase, allow you to maintain
your existing lean mass as you drop the fat, or potentially even recomposition.
In this chapter we’ll be covering everything you need to know from A to Z when it
comes to laying out an effective lifting routine that produces optimal results from
week to week.
We’ll start by discussing the principle of progressive overload, which is the most
important underlying concept upon which the rest of your training program will
be built. From there, we’ll dive into all of the individual factors surrounding
proper workout structure, including volume, frequency, exercise selection,
training splits, rep ranges, rest between sets, workout timing, duration, and
more. Many common myths will also be dispelled along the way, along with some
important injury prevention tips to improve training longevity and minimize the
chances of potential setbacks throughout your lifting journey.
This all may seem like a lot of information to take in at once, but just as proper
nutrition is a fairly simple process once you have all the fundamentals in place,
proper training is much the same thing. You won’t need to follow any fancy,
highly complex workout routines to get the results you’re after, nor will you need
to spend hours and hours in the gym every single day and revolve your entire
week around your lifting plan.
The goal here is to simply get into the weight room, put forth a good hard effort to
complete the required work, and then get out to eat, recover, grow and enjoy the
rest of your life without needlessly obsessing over the gym.
When it all boils down to it, achieving consistent muscle growth and fat loss from
your workouts primarily results from the consistent application of a few basic,
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core principles. This is not to say that the workouts will be easy, but the actual
methods themselves can be learned relatively quickly if you’re willing to put in
the effort.
So, let’s not waste any time and get right down to it by discussing the concept of
progressive overload, the single most critical guideline there is for achieving
consistent results from your workout plan.
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PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
As we covered in the previous chapter, total daily calorie intake is the single most
important foundational principle when it comes to proper nutrition and forms
the underlying basis of an effective eating strategy. When it comes to proper
training, the principle of progressive overload should be treated in the same way.
There are many individual details that come into play when structuring a well
laid out workout program, but none of them will make any difference to your
results if you’re not placing your primary focus on this core principle first and
foremost.
To put it simply, progressive overload states that in order to induce muscular
hypertrophy from week to week (hypertrophy is the technical term for growth),
you must:
1) Trigger the body’s muscle building response by training with a high enough
level of intensity.
2) Consistently increase the workload over time in order to stimulate further and
further gains.
It’s critical to remember that, when it all comes down to it, building muscle is an
evolutionary stress response and is your body’s way of adapting itself to the
demands of the environment. Whenever you train with weights, what you’re
actually doing is voluntarily inflicting damage on your muscles by subjecting
them to mechanical tension that breaks down and tears the fibers. The body will
then perceive this as a potential “survival threat” and react accordingly by
rebuilding the muscles larger and stronger (assuming proper nutrition is in
place) to better equip itself to deal with those stressors in the future.
It’s a fairly simple concept, yet so many trainees completely overlook it and are
oblivious as to what their actual purpose in the gym really is. They simply load up
an arbitrary amount of weight on the bar and “go through the motions” for a
prescribed number of reps, stopping their set far short of where they should be
before taking a brief rest and moving onto the next one.
If you’re truly serious about achieving significant results and transforming your
physique to its full potential, then you need to get serious about your workouts.
The bottom line is that if you’re not consistently imposing demands on your
muscles that are right up near (or beyond) their existing strength capacity, your
body will have no incentive to change itself physiologically and no significant
muscle growth will occur.
After all, if your body already has the existing resources in place to complete a
given task without much difficulty, it already considers itself well adjusted to the
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current environment and has no need to adapt further. Muscle is metabolically
“expensive” tissue and requires a large amount of energy and resources to build
and maintain, and the body will only undergo this process if it has a very good
reason to do so.
To put it simply, training intensity (the total percentage of available effort you
exert on each set) is the underlying stimulus that sets the entire muscle building
process into motion from the ground up. Without it, nothing else that you do in
the gym will matter.
In fact, insufficient weight training intensity can even be directly
counterproductive to your physique in some cases. This is because if you’re eating
in a calorie surplus but are not triggering a sufficient hypertrophy response
during your workouts, those extra calories you’re eating won’t have anywhere to
go except to your fat stores since the body will have no incentive to use them for
building additional muscle. This is why some trainees can hit the gym
consistently for several months and end up gaining mostly body fat with very
little actual lean muscle to show for it. So, training with adequate intensity is not
only critical for building muscle itself; it’s also important in ensuring that body
fat gains are kept to a minimum for those in a bulking phase.
However, while there is a minimum intensity threshold that must be reached in
order to fully stimulate hypertrophy, this doesn’t automatically mean that “more
intensity is better” or that you should be training to all-out muscular failure on
every single set. Pushing yourself too hard can actually backfire if you aren’t
careful, and it’s important that your intensity level be properly moderated if you
want to see the very best results.
The main reason for this is that your total training volume (how many sets and
reps you perform per workout and per week) is another important factor that
influences muscle growth. If your intensity level on each set becomes excessively
high, you’ll only be able to perform a limited amount of volume per session before
the total workload becomes too great. While there’s no doubt that generating
sufficient mechanical tension is the single most important factor when it comes
to stimulating muscle growth, the additional metabolic stress induced by simply
performing more total sets and reps in general plays a role too.
The topic of training volume/frequency will be covered later on, but for now, just
know that intensity and volume are both key activators of muscle hypertrophy
and are directly interrelated – as one goes up, the other must come down. The
goal of an effective hypertrophy workout is to find the proper middle-ground
between the two where the intensity level is high enough to produce optimal
gains, but not so high that it prevents you from getting in enough total volume.
This is not to say that very high intensity/low volume programs (otherwise
known as “HIT”, or “high intensity training”) are ineffective for building muscle,
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as they can certainly still work well when applied properly. However, for the very
best long term gains, dialing back the intensity slightly in favor of a few
additional sets will typically be the superior approach.
It’s also important to remember that weight training doesn’t just overload your
muscles – your joints and connective tissues are being stressed on each set as
well. Injury prevention should always be treated as a primary factor in your
workout plan (more details on this later), since your ability to train hard in the
gym on a consistent basis hinges on the fact that your structural foundation is
healthy enough to do so in the first place.
It doesn’t matter how effective your training program is from a pure muscle
building standpoint; if you’re forced onto the sidelines with an injury (a very
common occurrence due to improper workout structure), your entire program
will be stopped dead in its tracks. For that reason, moderating your intensity is
just as much about optimizing muscle growth as it is about keeping your joints
safe and healthy over the long term.
With all of these considerations taken into account, a safe and effective intensity
level to aim for would be to train approximately 1-2 reps short of muscular failure
on the majority of sets you perform. Muscular failure is defined as the point in
the set where you’re unable to complete any additional repetitions in proper form
despite your greatest efforts.
For example, if lifting with every ounce of available strength meant that you could
perform 8 reps on the barbell squat with 175 pounds, you’d leave 1-2 reps “in the
tank” and stop at the 6th or 7th rep rather than attempting that final “all out” 8th
rep.
The last rep of each set should still be quite challenging and should require a
good deal of physical and mental effort to complete, but super-slow “grinder
reps” where the bar is just barely budging along (and where you’re not even sure
if you’ll be able to finish it) should be avoided. If the lifting phase of that final rep
takes any more than about 3-4 seconds to complete despite exerting maximum
effort on the bar, you’ve probably gone a bit too far and should scale back your
intensity level slightly.
In addition, high intensity techniques such as forced reps, rest pause reps, heavy
negatives and drop sets should be avoided in most cases, only being seen as
optional tools to utilize by more advanced trainees every once in a while. Regular
straight sets taken 1-2 reps short of failure will be sufficient on their own to
maximize the hypertrophic response in the vast majority of lifters, while also
being safer on the joints as well.
Not every single set is going to be perfect (sometimes you might inadvertently
stop 3 reps short of failure or accidentally end up going all the way to failure), but
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the goal is to fall roughly around this prescribed intensity level on the majority of
your sets.
Also keep in mind that this 1-2 reps short of failure guideline assumes you’re
lifting with proper form at all times. If your form breaks down at any point in the
set and you begin using large amounts of outside body momentum and sloppy
technique to keep the weight moving, you’re either lifting too heavy a weight to
begin with or you should have stopped the set on a previous rep prior to your
form slipping up.
If you’re still a beginner, it will take some time to get a feel for things and learn
exactly where the point of muscular failure is and how to properly anticipate it.
Rather than just diving headfirst into the heavier weights, make sure to start off
on the moderate side of things and gradually scale up your intensity over the first
few weeks of lifting. Focus on developing proper technique first and foremost,
and then gradually acclimate yourself from workout to workout by pushing the
envelope a bit further each time. Each exercise and muscle group is a bit
different, and there is a learning curve involved before you’ll feel fully
comfortable with every movement.
A final note on the issue of intensity (and just on proper training in general) is to
make sure that you’re applying this same guideline to every muscle group on the
body rather than favoring certain areas over others. There’s often a tendency,
even unconsciously, to place more effort and focus on what would be considered
the “showy” muscle groups (usually the upper body areas such as the chest and
arms) while neglecting other areas that are deemed less important (and that are
also more challenging to train) such as the back and thighs.
It’s important to remember that every individual muscle plays a unique role in
bringing your entire physique together, and many of the muscle groups that are
typically given the most attention in the gym are actually not quite as “critical” as
you might think in terms of creating the appearance of overall muscularity.
For example, although many trainees tend to place a huge amount of focus on
building up their chest, the reality is that approximately 70% of your total upper
body muscle mass resides in your back. Well built pecs are certainly an important
addition to your physique, but adding quality size to your mid and upper back
will usually have a much more dramatic effect on maximizing the overall width
and thickness of your upper body.
The same thing holds true for arms. While the average lifter typically dedicates
their main focus to pumping out set after set of curls in order to add mass to their
biceps, it’s actually the triceps that contain roughly two thirds of your upper arm
muscle.
Not only does applying “selective intensity” to certain muscles over others create
imbalances from a visual perspective, but it can also create structural imbalances
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that place you at risk for injury. For example, placing more focus on pressing
movements for the chest as opposed to rowing movements for the back (a very
common error that a high percentage of lifters make) can create instability in the
shoulder joint that places undo stress on the rotator cuffs. Or, over-emphasizing
quad exercises at the expensive of hamstring exercises can lead to imbalances in
the knee joint. These are just two examples out of many.
Performing temporary “specialization” training cycles that hone in on specific
lagging muscle groups is fine as you become more advanced, but for those who
are still in the beginner to intermediate stages, every muscle group should be
treated with equal importance and the focus should simply be placed on building
up a balanced overall muscular foundation.
When it comes to the principle of progressive overload, everything we’ve
discussed up until now has covered the “overload” side of the equation. However,
while generating sufficient mechanical tension (intensity) during your sets is the
primary underlying factor that stimulates muscle growth in any given workout,
focusing in on this alone is not enough.
That’s because if you want to experience continual, ongoing gains in size and
strength from week to week, the total amount of tension you subject your muscles
to must be consistently increased over time. If 12 weeks ago you were able to
overhead press 100 pounds for 3 sets of 8 reps, and today you were still
performing that exact same amount, your shoulders would have had no incentive
to grow larger and stronger during that time. Your body would have already made
the necessary adaptations to handle that specific workload and would have no
need to build additional muscle unless presented with a more challenging task.
It’s only when you increase the weight to 105 pounds, and then 110, followed by
115 and so on that the body will be forced to adapt further to the ever-increasing
stress and continue to lay down more and more new muscle mass as a protective
response.
When you eventually progress further into the intermediate to advanced stages
and are lifting weights that are quite heavy for your body, moderating your loads
on some lifts may become necessary in order to protect your joints and prevent
injuries. This would particularly apply to smaller isolation exercises that only
involve a single muscle group and that place certain joints into a slightly more
vulnerable position (such as chest flys, lateral raises, leg extensions, leg curls
etc.), as you can typically only add weight to these movements up to a limited
point before further load increases become impractical or potentially dangerous.
At that stage, other methods of progression can be utilized beyond just lifting
more weight in general, such as performing more total volume per workout,
training each muscle more frequently throughout the week, reducing rest times in
between sets, or adjusting your lifting form and rep speeds in order to make the
same weight more mechanically challenging to train with.
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However, for any trainee who is still able to safely increase the amount of weight
they’re lifting without any joint discomfort (particularly beginners and
intermediates), the most effective and efficient way to stimulate further muscle
gains is to simply focus on getting stronger, period. Steadily add more weight and
reps to your exercises on a consistent basis, and muscle growth will simply occur
automatically as a natural by-product of that process. All things equal, the person
in the gym who increases their lifts by the greatest amount over the course of the
year will almost always be the one who puts on the greatest amount of muscle as
well, at least relative to their body frame and genetics.
This is why it’s so critically important that you maintain a training logbook and
objectively track your workout performance from week to week. Since the
underlying basis for building muscle over time is to gain strength, it’s imperative
that you always pay close attention to your lifting numbers in the gym so that you
know exactly where you stand at any given time and exactly what you need to do
to improve further.
You should be making a written record of which exercises you performed, the
weight lifted and reps executed on each set, and then striving for gradual,
incremental strength gains on all of your lifts whenever possible. Every single
time you enter the gym, you should be asking yourself “what did I do last
workout?” and “what do I need to do this workout?”, with the entire focus of your
training being centered around consistently “beating the logbook” and getting a
little bit better with each passing week.
Many people don’t bother keeping written records of their workouts (often
insisting that they simply “keep it in their head”), and this is precisely why such a
large percentage of trainees never see the muscle building results they’re after.
No matter how good your memory might be, there is no more efficient way to
maximize your progress than by having concrete numbers in place, as it will lay
out all of your precise weight and rep targets for each session without any
guesswork involved and will hold you directly accountable if you fail to reach
them.
It will also allow you to see which lifts are increasing at an acceptable rate and
which ones are stagnating so that you can make the appropriate adjustments to
prevent plateaus and ensure that every muscle group is progressing to its full
potential. On top of this, it’s also very motivating to be able to look back at
previous weeks and months of training and see firsthand just how far you’ve
come. Maintaining a training logbook (either on paper or in your phone) requires
very little additional effort, yet will pay dividends for your fitness program in the
long term.
We’ve now established the importance of training for strength and the value of
maintaining ongoing workout logs, but what is the best way to actually apply all
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of this in the gym? How often should you increase the weight on each of your
exercises, and by how much?
The simple answer here is that you should aim to increase the weight on each
exercise as often as you can while staying within your targeted rep range and
maintaining proper form. “Proper form” is a key phrase that should not be
overlooked here, since true progression means that your lifting technique
remains exactly the same every time you increase the load. If adding more weight
means that your range of motion begins shortening up, you start using excessive
momentum, your rep speed increases and/or your form just gets downright
sloppy, you’re simply moving at too quick a pace and need to take things more
slowly. Building muscle and gaining strength should be thought of as a marathon
rather than a sprint, and it’s crucial that you keep your ego in check and focus on
small, incremental gains rather than trying to make huge leaps over night.
Not only is lifting heavier weights with inferior form not going to help you gain
muscle more effectively (more on this topic later), but it will significantly increase
your chances for injury as well by placing greater stress on your joints and
connective tissues. If you ever feel unsure about a particular weight increase, you
should always err on the side of caution and go a bit lighter rather than heavier.
In terms of the actual method for increasing the weight on your exercises over
time, the general approach is fairly straightforward. First, you’ll focus on
increasing the total number of reps you can perform with a given weight until
you’re able to hit the upper end of your targeted rep range with that weight.
For example, if your targeted rep range was 5-7 per set and you squatted 200
pounds for 5 reps in a given workout, your next goal would be to perform 200
pounds for 6 reps, followed by 200 pounds for 7 reps. (If you’re able to increase
by 2 reps or more at a time in certain instances then that’s of course fine as well.)
Once you’ve reached the upper rep target with that specific weight, you’ll then
increase the weight on the following workout and continue training for additional
reps again. In this case you would bump the weight up to 205-210 pounds
(depending on how strong you felt that day), and continue with that weight until
you could perform 7 reps again before further increasing the load and repeating
the cycle.
It’s important to note here that it’s your performance on the first set of each
exercise that should be used as the primary factor in determining when to
increase the weight. Once you’re able to hit the upper end of the rep range with a
given weight on the first set, you would then increase the weight on the first set of
that exercise for the next workout. (In other words, it’s not a requirement that
you hit the upper rep target across every single set of an exercise before
increasing the weight.)
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From there, the amount of weight you use on the remaining sets of that exercise
will be determined based on how many reps you performed on the previous ones.
For example, if you were doing a rowing exercise using 60 pound dumbbells but
were only able to manage 5 reps on the first set, decreasing down to 55’s on the
second or third set might be necessary to ensure that you’re staying within the
prescribed 5-7 rep range. If you’re truly training 1-2 reps short of failure on each
set, then you may see a slight drop in strength of a rep or two on subsequent sets
of a given lift. On the other hand, if you were able to get 7 reps on the first set, you
could keep the weight the same on the following sets since you should still be able
to manage at least 5-6 reps with it.
There’s no one “perfect” way of doing this, but the bottom line is to just make
sure that you’re training 1-2 reps short of failure on each set while staying within
your targeted rep range, and if it becomes necessary to lower the weight on the
second or third set in order to make sure you’re able to meet the minimum end of
the range, that’s no problem. Much of this will ultimately just come down to
experience as you get an increasingly better feel for things over time and learn
how your body responds to training.
Once you have hit the upper rep target for a given lift and are ready to increase
the weight on the following workout, the specific amount you’ll be able to add
primarily depends on how many muscle groups are involved in the exercise and
how much total weight is being moved.
As a general rule, larger compound movements (such as squats, deadlifts, leg
presses, chest presses, shoulder presses, pull ups, pulldowns and rows) will allow
you to add weight at a faster pace and in larger increments in comparison to
isolation exercises, usually between 5-10 pounds at a time. On those smaller
isolation lifts (such as curls, triceps extensions, lateral raises, crunches, calf raises
etc.) you’ll typically need to spend more time with a given weight as you strive to
increase the reps, followed by a slightly lower increase of between 2.5-5 pounds.
Remember that the more “isolated” a particular exercise is and the less weight
you’re lifting, the larger the percentage increase will be any time you try to add
more resistance. For example, adding 5 pounds to a 175 pound bench press only
represents a 3% increase, while that same 5 pounds on a 20 pound cable lateral
raise represents a 25% increase. So, just make sure to be patient with your
isolation exercises and aim for a slower, more gradual rate of increase, whereas
with bigger compound movements the weights will generally climb up a bit
faster. If you do find that the next weight increment on a particular exercise feels
excessively heavy despite having hit the upper rep target with the previous
weight, drop the weight back down and train for 2-3 additional reps before
attempting to increase the load again.
Just how quickly you’ll be able to increase your lifts as a whole will also be
influenced to some degree by your individual experience level and whether you’re
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currently in a bulking or cutting phase. In the same way that muscle growth is
subject to diminishing returns the longer you’ve been training, this also holds
true for strength gains as well – the more weight you add to your exercises over
time, the harder it will become to achieve further and further increases.
Beginning lifters can expect to gain strength at the fastest rate of anyone, while
intermediate and advanced lifters will generally require a bit more time with a
given weight before they’re able to increase the load further.
Total calorie intake plays a role in the strength gaining process as well. Those
who are bulking and eating in a calorie surplus can expect to increase their
strength more effectively than those in a calorie deficit, since their body will have
more total energy and resources available to divert to both muscle growth and
strength increases. That said, unless you’re a more advanced trainee who is
leaning down to fairly low levels of body fat (in which case your strength may
stagnate or possibly decrease slightly toward the end of your cut), you should still
be able to increase the weight and reps on your lifts even while in a fat loss phase.
This is especially true if you’re still a beginner and/or are carrying a fairly high
amount of excess fat, in which case achieving significant strength progress should
still be expected even though you’ll be consuming fewer calories.
Regardless of your individual situation in terms of experience level and calorie
intake though, the key point is to just strive for consistent strength progression as
best you can. For most average lifters who are still in the beginner to
intermediate phase and who are not exceptionally lean, some form of progression
should be expected virtually every single week in the gym (every two weeks at the
most), whether that means simply performing an extra rep with the same weight
on each lift or slightly increasing the actual weight itself.
You should be able to bump up the weight on each exercise in some capacity
roughly once every 2-4 weeks on average depending on the movement, and if
you’re going more than two weeks straight without any form of weight/rep
progression at all, this would indicate that something in your plan is off and
needs to be corrected. (The details of how to properly address strength plateaus
will be covered in the Progress Tracking section in chapter 8)
Don’t expect your strength increases to occur in a perfectly linear fashion (for
example, it’s normal to have “off” days here and there or experience some slight
regression during certain periods where you may fall slightly off track with your
program for whatever reason), but the general trend should clearly be moving
upward on a month to month basis.
We’ve now covered everything you need to know about the foundational principle
of progressive overload. This basic guideline is where the majority of your focus
should be placed in the gym, as it’s by far the most important factor in
determining how much muscle you’ll ultimately gain over the long term. The
bottom line is that if you’re training with sufficient intensity and are consistently
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getting stronger over time, you’ll know your workouts are on the right track for
the most part. If not, then you shouldn’t be expecting to put on muscle to any
significant degree either.
Let’s now dive into more detail by outlining the specifics of how your workouts
should actually be laid out and executed for the very best results. Progressive
overload may form the underlying basis of your training routine, but it’s far from
the final word.
First up is the topic of volume and frequency.
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VOLUME / FREQUENCY
Properly configuring your weekly training volume and frequency is the first main
step when it comes to laying out an effective workout routine for optimal muscle
size and strength gains. When discussing volume and frequency, what we’re
specifically referring to is how many total sets and reps you’ll perform for each
individual muscle group per week (volume), and how often you’ll directly train
each muscle (frequency).
Although these are technically two separate questions, they both go hand in hand
and work in direct relation to each other - as one goes up, the other must come
down. The more total volume you perform per workout for a given muscle, the
more recovery time you’ll require in between sessions and the less frequently
you’ll be able to train that muscle throughout the week. On the other hand, the
less volume you utilize during each session, the faster you’ll recover and the more
often you can directly train each individual muscle without the risk for
overtraining.
The key is to strike the right balance between the two where you’re performing
the proper amount of total sets and reps for each workout to optimally stimulate
muscle growth (not too much, and not too little), while also utilizing a high
enough weekly frequency in order to maximize your overall rate of progress.
In terms of practical recommendations, it’s important to keep in mind that there
is no such thing as one single volume/frequency protocol that will be 100%
perfect for every person in every situation. The ideal amount for any given trainee
will be influenced to some degree by their individual genetics, experience level,
recovery capabilities, joint health and other factors. As you accumulate more
training experience from month to month and year to year, you’ll gradually get a
better feel for how your body responds at various volume/frequency levels,
allowing you to fine-tune your approach over time.
Another significant contributing factor when it comes to proper
volume/frequency configuration is the type of workout program being followed,
in particular the level of training intensity that is being utilized. As the intensity
level per set goes up, the amount of volume required to effectively stimulate
hypertrophy (and to prevent the risk of injury and overtraining) goes down, and
vice versa. For example, someone using lighter weights and training 3 reps short
of failure on each set would need to perform a much higher amount of total work
to generate a similar muscle building effect in comparison to someone training
with very heavy weights all the way to complete failure.
In any case, regardless of the individual differences that do come into play here,
there are still some general volume and frequency guidelines we can put in place
that will work very reliably for the vast majority of trainees assuming they have
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roughly average genetics, are training at an intensity level of 1-2 reps short of
failure on most sets, and are staying within the recommended hypertrophy rep
range we’ll be outlining later in this chapter.
When it comes to training volume, a safe and effective range to aim for would be
to perform 60-100 total reps per week for large muscle groups and 30-60 total
reps per week for small muscle groups. The large muscle groups include the
quads, hamstrings, back and chest, while the small muscle groups include the
shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs and calves. The specific number of sets this will
translate to depends on how many reps are being performed per set, but
assuming you average the middle figure of the recommended range we’ll be
outlining, you’ll be utilizing somewhere between 8-15 total sets per week for large
muscle groups and 4-8 sets per week for small muscle groups.
While it’s certainly still possible to achieve significant results by training with a
bit more or a bit less volume than this, these ranges are what would be
considered optimal for most average trainees in most situations. This is a large
enough workload to maximize muscle hypertrophy and strength gains for the
week, but without including any unnecessary excess that could potentially inhibit
recovery in between training sessions.
The primary reason why the small muscle groups are trained with less total
volume is that they already receive quite a bit of secondary stimulation during
compound exercises for your large muscle groups. There is a significant amount
of muscular “overlap” that occurs when training those bigger muscles, and this
needs to be properly accounted for when configuring your training volume for
each body part. For example, the front delts and triceps are heavily involved in all
compound exercises for the chest (bench presses, dumbbell presses etc.), with
overhead presses for the shoulders also recruiting the triceps to a large degree.
The rear delts and biceps are stimulated during all compound back exercises (pull
ups, pulldowns and rows), while the muscles of the core come into play on
virtually every exercise you perform in order to keep the body properly stabilized
during training.
These volume guidelines might not sound like a lot if you’ve been accustomed to
performing 25+ sets per muscle like so many high volume bodybuilding routines
prescribe, but the simple fact is that as long as you train hard and focus on
progressive overload, you don’t need to perform a large number of sets and reps
to get the results you’re after. Going too high on total volume can actually become
directly counterproductive to your gains, as it will push your body beyond its
ability to properly recover in between workouts. Remember that although
training with weights is what initially triggers the body’s muscle building
mechanism, the actual growth itself takes place while you’re out of the gym
resting and recovering.
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There’s a finite limit as to how much new muscle growth can be stimulated
during any given training session or any given week, and continuing to stress
your body beyond that maximum point will simply prolong your recovery time
without producing any additional net gain. By properly moderating your volume
and avoiding those unnecessary extra sets, you’ll recover more quickly in between
sessions and increase the total number of workouts per muscle group that you
can perform for the week/month/year, thus creating the greatest number of
individual “growth periods” and fully optimizing your long term rate of progress.
That brings us to the question of proper training frequency. How exactly should
these volume guidelines be broken up throughout the week in terms of individual
sessions per muscle group and total number of workouts performed in general?
While once again keeping in mind that individual differences do play a role in
determining the ideal frequency for any given person, directly training each
individual muscle group between 1.5 to 3 times per week would be considered the
optimal “sweet spot” range for the vast majority of trainees. Research has shown
that protein synthesis will remain elevated in a given muscle group for around 1-2
days after it’s been trained, with up to 4 days being required for complete
muscular recovery and growth depending on how much volume and intensity was
utilized. It should also be noted that muscular recovery is just one piece of the
equation, as the joints and central nervous system require time to recuperate in
preparation for the next workout as well.
In any case, taking the weekly guideline of 60-100 reps for large muscle groups
and 30-60 reps for small muscle groups and then splitting it up over 1.5 to 3
individual training sessions per muscle will strike a good balance between overall
volume/frequency for consistent muscle growth and strength gains. This means
that on the lower frequency end of 1.5x per week you’d be performing about 4065 reps/6-9 sets for large muscle groups per workout and 20-40 reps/3-6 sets for
small muscle groups. At the higher end of 3x per week, you’d be doing between
20-35 reps/3-5 sets for large muscle groups per workout and 10-20 reps/2-3 sets
for small muscle groups per session. At 2-2.5x per week the volume would fall
somewhere in the middle.
There are a virtually endless number of different ways this could be potentially
laid out in terms of a concrete weekly training plan, but there are three main
“tried and tested” approaches that will effectively meet these volume/frequency
guidelines in an organized and well structured manner and that will work very
well as basic default options for most lifters. (Keep in mind that the exact stepby-step workout routines in terms of days in the gym, exercises, sets and reps are
all laid out in detail in the Body Transformation Blueprint Workout System, so
the information here is simply meant to give a generalized overview.)
Option #1 is to perform a basic full body workout 3 days per week. This is the
simplest and most straightforward training approach to choose from, and as the
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name implies, involves training your entire body as a whole during each
individual workout session.
Full body workouts are very well suited to beginning lifters (those with less than
approximately 1 year of proper training experience) as a way of maximizing their
initial “newbie gains” and building up an overall size and strength foundation as
quickly as possible. Since beginners are so highly responsive to weight training
due to it being a novel stimulus – and since they’ll also be able to recover more
quickly in between workouts as a result of the relatively lighter weights they’ll be
lifting – hitting each muscle 3 times per week with a higher frequency approach
is typically the best way to take advantage of this.
Option #2 is to perform an upper/lower split 3-4 days per week. With this
approach you’ll be training all of your upper body muscles on one day followed by
all of your lower body muscles on the other, rotating back and forth throughout
the week.
Whether you go with 3 sessions per week (averaging out to 1.5 direct workouts
per muscle group per week) or 4 sessions per week (2 direct workouts per
muscle) should be determined based on your individual recovery capabilities and
how you personally respond at lower or higher frequencies. It’s generally best to
start off on the lower end with 3 sessions per week, only increasing to 4 if you
find that you’re able to easily recover in between the workouts and that you have
the physical and mental energy available for an additional weekly session. All
things equal, whichever training frequency allows you to gain strength at the
fastest rate will almost always be the one that builds muscle at the fastest rate as
well (this applies to any workout split you’re using), so the best thing to do is
experiment and see which one works best for you.
Upper/lower splits are well suited to intermediate trainees who have moved past
the one year mark of proper lifting, have maxed out their beginner gains and have
put on some decent mass and strength in the process. Since you’ll be lifting
heavier weights at this point, the frequency per muscle group will be reduced
slightly to allow for greater recovery time in between sessions. By reducing the
number of muscle groups trained during each workout, an upper/lower split will
also allow you to add in a wider variety of exercises and a bit more volume per
session to further optimize the development of each individual muscle.
Option #3 is to perform a legs/push/pull split 4-5 days per week. This is the more
“advanced” option of the three and is best followed by those with 2 or more years
of proper training experience under their belt. The legs workout will train your
lower body muscles, the push workout focuses on your upper body pushing
muscles (chest, front/side delts, triceps) and the pull workout hits your upper
body pulling muscles (back, rear delts, biceps).
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A legs/push/pull split further reduces the total number of individual muscles
trained per session so that you can hone in more closely on each body part in
terms of exercise variation and volume. While there are plenty of other potential
3-day training splits that could be used effectively as well, this particular one
breaks your body up into systems of related muscle groups that work together on
their respective movements, minimizing muscular overlap throughout the week
and allowing for better recovery in between workouts as a result.
Whether you go with 4 sessions per week on this split (averaging out to 1.33
direct workouts per muscle group per week – just slightly below the minimum
recommended 1.5x/week frequency guideline, but still close enough) or 5
sessions per week (1.66 direct workouts per muscle) once again depends on your
individual training tolerance and is something that will need to be experimented
with to find the ideal approach. Begin on the lower end of 4 sessions per week as
an initial starting point, and if you’re making consistent progress and are
recovering just fine at that frequency, you can optionally test out an additional
session to see how your body responds.
In order to maximize your muscle building results based on your individual level
of experience, these three weekly training layouts will work very well as a default
template during the first few years of lifting for virtually any trainee out there. It
should be noted though that while a full body workout for beginners,
upper/lower routine for intermediates and legs/push/pull split for advanced
lifters is certainly a reliable and highly effective structure to follow, the reality is
that any of these training layouts will ultimately produce consistent muscle
growth regardless of one’s specific level of experience.
For example, advanced trainees can still achieve significant progress by utilizing a
full body approach, as could a complete beginner following a legs/push/pull split.
There are many other 2-3 day split variations out there that could be used
effectively as well, and even a traditional 4-5 day bodybuilding “bro split” where
each muscle is trained just once per week with higher volume can still produce
great results as long as progressive overload is being achieved over the long term.
Even performing just 2 total workouts per week can build significant muscle size
and strength if they’re being executed with the proper intensity and the total
volume for the week as a whole is sufficient (such as 2 full body workouts or 1
upper body workout/1 lower body workout), though it usually does take a slightly
more advanced trainee in order to truly pull this off effectively.
The ultimate goal is to lay things out in a way that produces the fasted progress
overall (that’s what the recommended training sequences outlined above are
designed to do and why it’s recommended that they be followed unless there is a
specific reason to do otherwise), but just keep in mind that overall
volume/frequency for the week as a whole combined with ongoing progressive
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overload is by far the most important muscle building factor beyond any one
exact training split.
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EXERCISE SELECTION
With your weekly volume and frequency ranges now configured, the next step in
the process is to determine which actual exercises you'll use to meet those specific
ranges for each individual muscle group. With all of the different areas of the
body that must be properly trained for overall physique development, it's
important that you gain a basic understanding of the various movement patterns
performed by each muscle and how to effectively combine them into a well
balanced workout plan.
There are two main types of exercises you'll be performing, that being either
“compound” or “isolation” movements. Compound movements involve the use of
multiple muscle groups at the same time (such as squats, bench presses, pullups
etc.) while isolation exercises utilize only a single muscle group with minimal
involvement from surrounding areas (such as biceps curls, calf raises or shrugs).
Compound exercises are the most efficient means of maximizing total body
muscle growth and provide the greatest “bang for the buck” due to their high
capacity for progressive overload and ability to target several muscle groups
simultaneously. Because of this, they should always be given top priority and
positioned first in your workouts while your strength and mental focus is at its
peak.
After your compound lifts have been completed, additional isolation work can
then be included to provide some extra volume for your large muscle groups as
well as to target your other smaller muscle groups that can't be fully stimulated
using compound lifts alone. For example, although the biceps and triceps are
recruited during all compound movements for the back and chest, direct isolation
exercises in the form of biceps curls and triceps extensions will still be necessary
in order to completely optimize their development. Other muscles that require
further isolation work for maximal growth include the middle and rear heads of
the shoulder, upper traps, abs, calves and forearms.
A variety of different lifting tools can be used to perform both your compound
and isolation exercises, including barbells, dumbbells, cables and machines.
None of these options are inherently “better” or “worse” than the other, as they
all have varying applications depending on the specific exercise being performed
as well as the goals, equipment availability and potential injury limitations of the
individual.
The basic foundational compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, horizontal presses,
horizontal pulls, vertical presses and vertical pulls) are typically best performed
using free weights due to the more natural range of motion and improved
functional carryover they provide, with cable and machine exercises being added
in for those movements that either can’t be performed using free weights (such as
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leg presses, lat pulldowns, triceps pressdowns, face pulls etc.) or where the cable
or machine variation provides a certain advantage, such as improving the
resistance curve on a chest fly, providing lower back support during rows or
allowing for easier loading on calf raise movements to give a few examples.
Far more important than the specific lifting tool you opt for though is that you're
simply performing the correct movement pattern to target whichever particular
muscle you're training. The reality is that there a nearly endless number of
different ways a given exercise could be performed effectively, and there is no
such thing as any single “mandatory” variation that you absolutely must include
in order to achieve significant results.
For example, an overhead press for the shoulders could potentially be done from
a standing position using a barbell, seated position using dumbbells, incline
position on a hammer press machine, or even from a kneeling position using
cables. While an argument could be made in favor of certain variations over
others depending on the specific goal of the exercise, any of these choices will
ultimately be effective as long as the shoulder is being trained through the same
basic plane of movement and progressive overload is being achieved over time.
Certain default recommendations will be made for each muscle group that would
be considered as the ideal choice for trainees whose primary goal is to fully
maximize hypertrophy, but it's the correct combination of movement patterns
that is by far the most important factor to consider when making exercise
selections, with the difference between “effective” and “ideal” still being relatively
modest in the bigger picture.
Due to the many smaller nuances involved in training any given muscle group in
terms of its exact structure, functions and exercise selection options, an entire
manual could be potentially dedicated to each one if every single factor were to be
taken into account. For that reason, to keep the length of this section within
reasonable limits, the goal here is to simply lay out the most important, practical
information you’ll need to know for each body part without getting overly bogged
down in unnecessary details.
Also keep in mind that the exact recommended exercise sequences for each
muscle group (along with step by step video tutorials for each) are all laid out in
detail in The Body Transformation Blueprint Workout System, so you won't need
to specifically organize and combine all of this information on your own. Instead,
you can simply use this section as a general resource to acquire the proper
understanding of how each muscle should be trained and why, as well as to learn
about some additional exercises that can be optionally added to the default
routines depending on your individual training goals and experience level.
It should also be noted that since there are literally hundreds of different
exercises available that could potentially be performed for each muscle group,
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video tutorials have been provided only for those movements that are specifically
included in The Body Transformation Blueprint Workout System. If you’re
interested in learning the proper form for any other exercises that are not
included in the default training plans, those would have to be researched
separately as it simply isn’t possible to provide demonstrations for every single
one.
With that introduction out of the way, let's go through each major area of the
body (chest, shoulders, back, arms, abs, thighs/glutes and calves) and discuss the
specific functions they perform and which exercises should be used to target
them for the best muscle building results.
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CHEST
Generally regarded as one of the most sought-after “showy” muscle groups on the
body to develop, the chest (pectoralis major) is separated into two individual
heads: the sternal head (making up the “mid” and “lower” pecs) and the
clavicular head (the “upper” pecs).
There is also the pectoralis minor that runs underneath the pec major, though
this is a very small muscle (functioning to stabilize the scapula) and is not
necessary to worry about for muscle building purposes.
Despite the huge amount of value most average trainees place on their chest
training efforts – with the bench press often being treated as the single most
important “cornerstone” upper body lift to focus on – the pecs themselves are
actually not quite as large a muscle as most people think and should not be given
any “special priority” over other areas as is so commonly seen. They certainly play
an important role in the appearance of a muscular and well balanced upper body,
but do not require anything fancy in terms of exercise selection and can be
trained fully using just one or two basic movement patterns.
The primary function of the pec major is to press the upper arm across the front
of the body, known as transverse shoulder adduction.
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The two exercises that are used to target this function for chest stimulation and
growth are horizontal presses and flys, both of which can be performed at either a
flat, incline or decline angle.
Horizontal presses are a compound movement that train the chest with
additional assistance from the anterior delts (front of the shoulder) and triceps.
These exercises should be treated as the underlying foundation of any effective
chest training routine, performed first in the workout before any isolated fly
movements are included.
Horizontal presses can be executed in the form of a traditional barbell bench
press, dumbbell press or as any number of other machine press or cable press
variations. While any of these tools will ultimately be effective if utilized with
sufficient intensity, proper form and progressive overload, the dumbbell press
provides certain advantages that make it the top recommended default pressing
movement for muscle building purposes.
In comparison to the commonly used barbell bench press, dumbbells move the
pecs through a slightly larger range of motion, allow each arm to work
independently (helping to prevent size and strength imbalances from side to
side), and reduce strain on the shoulders due to the more natural arching
movement involved. A barbell press can certainly still be used effectively as your
primary chest exercise if you prefer it for some reason, but a dumbbell press will
typically strike the best overall balance for most trainees in terms of maximizing
chest stimulation while also minimizing the risk for injury. Keep in mind though
that you aren't necessarily limited to a single pressing movement for your weekly
chest training plan either, so utilizing a mixture of different variations is an
option as well depending on how your program is structured.
In terms of angle selection (flat, incline or decline), this will depend on which
specific area of the pec muscle you’re wanting to emphasize. In order to maximize
the tension on any given set of muscle fibers, the angle that the resistance is
pulled at should run parallel to the angle of those specific fibers. (This applies not
only to the chest but to every other muscle on the body as well.) As seen in the
graphic above, the lower fibers of the chest run at a downward angle from their
insertion point on the upper arm, while the middle fibers run horizontally and
the upper fibers run at an upward angle.
Based on these differing fiber orientations, decline angles will direct a greater
portion of the stress toward the lower pec region, with flat and incline
movements emphasizing the mid and upper pecs respectively. Keep in mind that
any chest exercise you perform will still activate the entire pec muscle as a whole
regardless of the angle used, but the tension can be shifted slightly between the
lower, middle and upper areas depending on how you position yourself during
the lift.
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Another common chest pressing exercise that is often utilized for building the
pecs is the wide grip dip. However, since this movement primarily involves the
functions of shoulder flexion and elbow extension, dips are actually more of a
front delt and triceps focused exercise as opposed to a mass builder for the chest.
Wide grip dips also place the shoulder joint into a much more vulnerable position
that can lead to excessive strain over time, especially as you progress to heavier
and heavier weights. Given that wide grip dips don't provide any particular
muscle building advantage for the pecs in comparison to standard horizontal
pressing movements, they're typically best avoided in most cases due to the
increased injury risk they carry.
After your horizontal pressing movements have been completed, a chest fly
exercise can then be included to provide some additional volume for the pecs and
train them through a slightly different movement pattern. Flys are an isolation
exercise that stimulate the chest with minimal involvement from other muscle
groups, and as with presses, can be performed using a variety of tools including
dumbbells, cables and machines at either a flat, incline or decline angle. Any one
of these choices will work effectively, though cable and machine variations are
generally better suited to fly movements since they provide more consistent
tension on the chest throughout the entire range of motion.
When flys are performed using dumbbells, the majority of the tension is taken off
of the pecs toward the top half of the movement since the exercise is performed in
a circular motion while the force of gravity is pulling downward in a straight line.
The difference here will be fairly minor in the overall picture, but if possible, a
cable fly (performed from either a standing, seated or lying position) or machine
fly would be recommended for optimal pec stimulation. Depending on how much
total volume you'll be training your chest with throughout the week, the other
option once again is to just utilize a mixture of different variations.
There are many ways that an effective chest workout could be structured using
these exercises, but a reliable template to follow would be to include at least one
horizontal pressing exercise and one fly exercise in your routine, with one
movement being performed at either a flat or decline angle and the other at an
incline angle to ensure full stimulation of all regions of the pec. This could mean a
flat or decline press followed by an incline fly, or an incline press followed by a
flat or decline fly.
More advanced trainees can optionally include a greater amount of exercise
variety than this depending on their program structure and goals, while complete
novices will typically be best off to focus on compound presses only during the
beginning stages, adding fly movements in later on once an initial size and
strength foundation has been built.
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SHOULDERS
When it comes to creating the appearance of a wider, more powerful looking
upper body, a well built set of shoulders will generally have the largest
contributing effect of any muscle group, especially underneath a shirt. Muscular
shoulders also help to create the appearance of a smaller waistline, accentuating
the “v-tapered” look that all serious lifters strive for.
The shoulders (technically referred to as the “deltoids”) are separated into three
individual heads: the anterior head (front), lateral head (middle) and posterior
head (rear).
Since the shoulder operates as a ball and socket joint, it has a very high degree of
freedom and can perform a wide variety of different functions involving each of
these three heads. In terms of the primary functions that should be focused on for
muscle building purposes, the anterior head is mainly involved in shoulder
flexion (lifting the arms out in front of the body and overhead), the lateral head
performs shoulder abduction (lifting the arms out to the sides) while the
posterior head performs transverse shoulder abduction (moving the arms
backward and apart horizontally).
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The most commonly used “bread and butter” movement pattern for training the
shoulders is a basic overhead press. This is a compound exercise that primarily
targets the anterior head (also referred to as the “front delts”) and the triceps,
with secondary involvement of the lateral head. Overhead presses can be done in
a variety of ways, most often as a standing overhead barbell press or seated
overhead dumbbell press.
Either variation will target the shoulders effectively, but the seated overhead
dumbbell press provides certain advantages that make it the more preferred
option for overall shoulder hypertrophy. Having the arms positioned further out
to the sides allows for increased lateral head involvement (an overhead barbell
press is mainly a front delt focused lift due to the forward position of the elbows),
with the use of dumbbells also producing a more natural arching movement that
trains each shoulder independently for balanced size and strength gains. An
overhead barbell press is certainly still an acceptable option as a primary
overhead pressing movement, but dumbbells would be considered as the ideal
“default” option in this case.
Since the anterior head is heavily worked during overhead presses and also
receives a high amount of stimulation during all compound pressing movements
for the chest, it typically does not require further isolation through the use of
front raises. Although front raises are a very commonly performed exercise in
most gyms, they likely won't contribute noticeably to your overall shoulder gains
given adequate chest and shoulder pressing volume throughout the week.
When it comes to training the lateral head (also referred to as the “side delts”),
the primary exercise to focus on would be a properly executed lateral raise.
Although the lateral head is involved in overhead pressing movements to a
certain degree, further isolation work will be required in order to fully maximize
its development. Since the lateral head sits directly on the side of the shoulder
and is the most prominent of the three deltoid heads, this is a very important area
to focus on if you’re looking to give your shoulders that wide and capped “3D”
look.
Lateral raises can be performed using either dumbbells or cables, and while both
variations will ultimately train the lateral head effectively, cables would be the
preferred choice if possible due to the slightly improved resistance curve they
provide. Unlike cables, dumbbells only activate the lateral head fully in the top
half of the range of motion, with the tension gradually decreasing as the
dumbbells are lowered back down to the starting position.
Another highly effective shoulder exercise that targets both the lateral and
posterior heads (along with the muscles of the mid and upper back) are face
pulls. Face pulls are essentially a rowing exercise where, rather than pulling the
weight in toward the waist as is normally done during regular back exercises, the
resistance is pulled higher up toward the face instead. Face pulls are a great
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movement not only for stimulating delt hypertrophy, but also for improving
overall shoulder health by counteracting the common kyphotic (“hunched over”)
posture so common in weightlifters and those who spend a large portion of the
day in a seated position.
Aside from lateral raises and face pulls, one other optional add-on for hitting the
lateral head would be an upright row. While certainly not a “must” when it comes
to effective shoulder training, upright rows can be experimented with by more
intermediate/advanced trainees who are specifically wanting to incorporate more
variety into their delt workouts. Just keep in mind that upright rows do place the
shoulder joint into a slightly more vulnerable position, and so they must be
performed cautiously (meaning lighter weights for higher reps, a slower and
more controlled tempo, and only pulling the elbows up to shoulder height and no
higher) and should ideally be avoided by anyone with pre-existing shoulder
issues.
The third and final area of the shoulder to take into account is the posterior head,
also referred to as the “rear delts”. The posterior head will be trained effectively
through the use of face pulls as previously mentioned, and is also stimulated
during vertical and horizontal pulling movements for the back such as pullups,
pulldowns and rows.
Beyond this, a rear lateral raise movement can also be included to isolate the
posterior head further and fully round out your shoulder training plan. The ideal
choices for this would be a bent over cable rear lateral raise, standing cable rear
lateral raise or a rear lateral raise performed on a reverse pec deck machine.
Dumbbells are an option for this exercise as well, though they won't activate the
posterior head to as significant a degree due to the lack of tension in the mid to
bottom portion of the range.
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BACK
Although it can’t be directly seen working in the mirror (and is often neglected in
the gym for this reason), the back is a much larger and more valuable area to
develop than most trainees realize. In fact, roughly 70% of your total upper body
muscle mass resides here.
Simply referring to the “back” as being one single muscle group like so many
people do is far from an accurate description, as the back is actually comprised of
several different large muscles that all must be trained fully for complete
development. A wide, thick back will have a significant contributing effect on the
appearance of overall upper body muscularity (much more so than the typical
“beach muscles” most lifters tend to focus on, such as the chest and biceps),
especially when paired up with a well built set of shoulders.
The first major area to take into account when
structuring your back workouts is the latissimus
dorsi (“lats” for short) which contribute primarily
to the appearance of back width.
The lats are the single largest muscle found in the
upper body and perform the primary functions of
shoulder adduction (pulling the arms in closer to
the body while out to the sides) and shoulder
extension (pulling the arms in closer to the body
while out in front).
Based on these two functions, the lats are best targeted for growth through the
use of vertical pulling movements in the form of pullups and/or pulldowns, both
of which can be performed using a variety of different grips (overhand, neutral or
underhand) and grip widths (wide, shoulder width or narrow). Vertical pulls are a
compound movement that not only recruit the lats, but involve many other
muscles as well including the rhomboids, mid and lower traps, teres major and
minor, rear delts and upper arm flexors (biceps and brachialis).
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A wider grip with the elbows positioned further out to the sides will mainly target
the function of shoulder adduction, while a narrower grip with the elbows
positioned out in front of the body will target shoulder extension. A well rounded
approach for lat training would be to combine both of these movements together
using one pullup and one pulldown exercise in order to stimulate the lats through
each function. This could mean a wider overhand grip pullup paired with a
narrower neutral grip pulldown, or a narrower neutral grip pullup paired with a
wider overhand grip pulldown.
The slightly wider grip overhand variations will activate the lats to the highest
degree overall, so this would be the preferred choice for those on a more basic
training plan (such as a beginner following a full body routine) who will only be
utilizing a single vertical pulling exercise in their program. Underhand
pullups/pulldowns can be optionally utilized as well, though this variation is not
quite as effective for training the lats due to the greater involvement of the biceps
in comparison to the overhand and neutral grips.
After the lats, the second primary
muscle group of the back is the
trapezius, or “traps” for short. The traps
are a large v-shaped muscle that are
separated into upper, middle and lower
fibers and contribute mostly to the
appearance of back thickness.
The upper fibers perform the primary
function of scapular elevation
(shrugging the shoulder blades
upward), while the middle and lower
fibers are primarily involved in scapular retraction (pulling the shoulder blades
backward).
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Compound rowing exercises are the most effective way to target the middle and
lower fibers and can be performed using a variety of tools such as a barbell,
dumbbells, cables or machines. Rows also activate the lats quite heavily, and
similar to pullups/pulldowns, recruit several other muscles as well including the
rhomboids, teres major/minor, rear delts and upper arm flexors.
While a wide variety of different rowing variations could be potentially used as
part of an effective back workout, dumbbells would be the preferred choice here
for the same reasons outlined in the chest and shoulder training sections, in that
they provide a more natural range of motion and allow each side of the body to
work independently for balanced size and strength development.
Rowing variations that keep the lower back supported also provide the added
advantage of reducing stress on the lumbar region, allowing you to direct all of
your focus onto training the targeted back muscles without the lower back
becoming a limiting factor in the exercise. One arm dumbbell rows, seal rows or
incline chest supported rows are all great choices for this, as are chest supported
machine variations such as hammer strength rows. A standard bent over row
using a barbell or dumbbells is still a viable option here, but just keep in mind
that these exercises are more demanding on the lower back and are typically best
avoided by those with any pre-existing injuries.
While on the topic of rows, it should also be noted that the face pull exercise
covered in the previous shoulder training section is also a rowing movement and
will activate the mid and lower fibers of the traps as well.
To finish off the traps, the upper fibers can be stimulated through the use of a
basic shrugging exercise such as a barbell shrug, dumbbell shrug or a machine
variation such as a smith machine shrug. Any of these options are acceptable,
though one added benefit of the dumbbell version is that it allows you to hold the
weight slightly out at your sides for reduced load on the lower back. Due to the
significant strength of the upper traps and the very short range of motion
involved, fairly heavy weights can often be utilized on shrugs which the lower
back must also work to support.
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In order to target the muscles of the back effectively, a combination of the
previously mentioned exercises – a pullup, pulldown, row, face pull and shrug –
is typically enough to allow for complete stimulation and growth of all areas. For
those looking to focus in even more closely on their back development with some
added volume and exercise variety throughout the week (this would particularly
apply to more intermediate and advanced trainees), three other optional “addon” exercises can also be considered.
The first exercise would be a rack pull to provide some additional work for the
traps. Although conventional deadlifts are often used as a primary back exercise
for this purpose, it’s only the top half of the deadlifting movement that actually
places a significant amount of stress on the muscles of the upper back. The first
half primarily utilizes the quads and glutes, making traditional deadlifts just as
much a lower body focused exercise as an upper body one. By eliminating the
bottom portion of the range and taking the legs largely out of the equation, a rack
pull allows you to direct the majority of the tension onto the upper back using the
full loads these muscles are capable of, and without having the exercise interfere
with recovery in between your leg workouts.
The second optional back exercise to consider would be a pullover, which is an
isolation movement that targets the lats with minimal involvement of
surrounding muscle groups. A freeweight dumbbell pullover, cable pullover or
machine pullover are all acceptable choices here, though the cable and machine
variations will provide a slightly improved resistance curve in comparison to
dumbbells. Pullovers would not be considered an “essential” back exercise, but
adding them in toward the end of your workout (after all compound pulling
movements have been completed) is an option to provide some extra volume for
the lats.
The final optional movement would be a
hyperextension to target the spinal erectors.
These are two large columns of muscle that
extend up the entire spine and perform the
primary function of spinal extension
(straightening out the back from a forward bent
position).
If you're already performing barbell squats,
Romanian deadlifts and/or rack pulls in your
workouts (all of which train the spinal erectors
to a significant degree), then the use of a
hyperextension probably won’t be necessary. However, if you aren't including
these movements in your plan or just want to perform some additional work for
these muscles, hyperextensions can be added in toward the end of your back
workout as well.
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As a final tip on the subject of effective back training, one
added lifting accessory that is often helpful in this area is
a pair of lifting straps. These are essentially a thick set of
leather, canvas or nylon that are wrapped around your
wrists and then around the bar or dumbbell in order to
secure your grip into place. (Lifting hooks can also be
used for this same purpose)
By largely eliminating your grip from the equation, lifting
straps help to reduce the involvement of the forearms and
upper arm flexors during compound pulling movements
(which can often end up taking on a disproportionate amount of the load on these
exercises) so that all of the focus can be directed toward fully activating the
targeted back muscles. The lats and mid-back are typically the two most
challenging areas on the body to develop a strong mind-muscle connection with,
and this is one of the main reasons why such a high percentage of lifters tend to
have under-developed backs. The use of straps or hooks is certainly not
mandatory, but is worth experimenting with if you have a hard time feeling your
back muscles working during pulling exercises or are just looking for a simple
way to increase the stimulation further.
Straps and hooks are also highly useful on heavier lifts (such as shrugs and rack
pulls) where your forearms may not be strong enough to hold onto the weight for
the entire duration of the set. In this case, straps or hooks would be considered a
necessity in order to ensure that your forearms don't become the limiting factor
in the exercise. If you’re forced to let go of the weight mid-set as a result of your
grip giving out, the muscles of the back won’t end up being trained to their true
strength potential and the effectiveness of the exercise will be significantly
reduced.
Some lifters shy away from the use of lifting straps or hooks because they don't
want to impair the development of their grip strength, however, you can simply
incorporate direct forearm exercises into your plan separately if this is a concern
for you (we'll touch on this in the next section), as this will be the most effective
means of increasing grip strength anyway.
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ARMS
The arms are another “showy” muscle group that tend to be treated with a very
high level of emphasis by most lifters, often placed as a top priority in the average
muscle building training plan.
While there's no doubt about the importance of a well developed set of arms
when it comes to building a strong and muscular looking physique, achieving
consistent gains in this area is actually very straightforward and does not require
anything fancy in terms of exercise selection or variety. In fact, despite the
endless sets of biceps curls and triceps extensions you’ll commonly see being
performed in most average gyms, the reality is that the bulk of your arm growth
(probably anywhere from 75-90%) won't even come as a result of direct arm
isolation movements and will instead be produced automatically through
compound chest, shoulder and back training.
This is because all horizontal and vertical pressing exercises already involve
elbow extension (the primary function of the triceps) while all horizontal and
vertical pulling exercises involve elbow flexion (the primary function of the biceps
and brachialis). Due to the constant gripping involved in virtually every upper
body exercise in general (and even certain lower body ones), the forearms will
also be trained effectively just from your regular training plan alone. As you
achieve progressive overload and add continual size and strength to your chest,
shoulders and back, your arms will simply grow along with them. This doesn't
mean that isolated arm exercises are unnecessary, but they should be treated as
more of a “supplemental” aspect of your overall arm training approach to round
out that last 10-25% of growth rather than being placed as the primary focus.
In terms of arm anatomy, there are four main areas to consider for muscle
building purposes: the biceps, triceps, brachialis and forearms. Starting with the
biceps, this muscle consists of two individual heads: the long head (outer portion)
and short head (inner portion).
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The primary functions of these heads are elbow flexion (curling the forearm
toward the shoulder) and forearm supination (twisting the palm upward).
Although the emphasis can be shifted slightly between the long head and short
head based on differing grip widths (a narrow grip to target the short head and
wide grip for the long head), this generally isn’t something to specifically worry
about since both heads will be heavily involved during any curling movement you
perform.
When selecting a primary biceps exercise for your plan, virtually any basic curl
using a supinated grip (palms facing up) can be used effectively, whether it be a
standard barbell curl, dumbbell curl, cable curl or machine curl. Your best bet
here will be to experiment with a few different curling variations, selecting
whichever one feels most comfortable and allows you to achieve the greatest level
of biceps activation without wrist or elbow discomfort. Two highly recommended
options to try out would be a single arm cable curl (due to the consistent tension
it provides throughout the entire curling motion) and a seated dumbbell curl (the
position of this movement allows for a deep stretch on the biceps in the bottom
position and a very strong contraction at the top).
Since the biceps also perform forearm supination, a supinating dumbbell curl
(where the grip starts off in a neutral position and the palms are twisted upward
as the weight is lifted) can be added into your arm training plan as well to target
this specific function. Supinating dumbbell curls can be performed from either a
seated or standing position and can be done by curling both arms at the same
time or in an alternating fashion.
All in all, 1-2 direct biceps exercises per week in combination with all of your
compound back movements should be sufficient for optimal gains, with
additional variety only being required by more advanced trainees who specifically
want to focus in on their biceps either because they’re a lagging body part or are
simply a muscle they’d like to develop further.
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The next upper arm muscle to take into account is the triceps. Although the
biceps are typically regarded by most lifters as the most important arm muscle
for bodybuilding purposes, it's actually the triceps that contain roughly two thirds
of the body’s total upper arm mass. The triceps are made up of three individual
heads: the long head (inner), lateral head (outer) and medial head (mid-line,
running underneath the long head and lateral head).
The primary function of the triceps is elbow
extension (straightening out the arm). Any basic
elbow extension movement will cause all three
triceps heads to fire, but the emphasis can be shifted
slightly from one head to another through the use of
different angles and elbow positionings.
The largest head of the three is the long head, which
is best trained using triceps extensions where the
shoulder is in a flexed position. The ideal movement
for this would be an overhead triceps extension, which can be performed using
free weights (straight bar, ez-curl bar or dumbbells) or cables (using a rope
attachment or performed one arm at a time by grabbing directly onto the cable
itself). Any of these choices will work effectively, though the cable variations will
generally provide a smoother range of motion that is less stressful to the
shoulder, elbow and wrist joints.
Another alternative to this movement would be a lying triceps extension
(otherwise known as “skull crushers”) which also emphasize the long head,
though not quite to the same degree as overhead extensions do. Lying triceps
extensions can also be done using either free weights or cables, with cables being
ideally recommended once again since they do tend to be a bit easier on the
joints.
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The next triceps head to take into account is the lateral head, which runs down
the outer side of the upper arm and gives the triceps their “horseshoe” shape.
Triceps pressdowns are the best way to target the lateral head for growth, with
the most highly recommended variation being a rope pressdown where the hands
are forcefully pulled apart at the bottom of each rep. That said, pressdowns can
be done effectively using virtually any attachment (straight bar, v-bar, single
hand attachment etc.) as long as it is held using a neutral or overhand grip, since
the underhand grip is not quite as effective for maximally loading the triceps. The
lateral head is generally the most challenging area of the triceps to establish a
strong mind-muscle connection with, so it will likely require a bit of practice
before you really feel this head being significantly activated during your exercises.
As for the medial head, this portion of the triceps already receives plenty of
stimulation during all compound pressing movements for the chest and
shoulders (as well as during triceps extensions for the long head and lateral head)
and typically does not need to be directly focused on for that reason. However, for
those whose triceps are a lagging body part (or who are limited in their use of
triceps extensions, perhaps due to elbow injury), a close grip press (barbell or
dumbbell) and/or narrow grip dip can be included to provide some additional
volume for the medial head and for the triceps as a whole. Although chestfocused dips that utilize a wide grip and forward leaning position are often unsafe
for the shoulder joints, triceps dips that are performed with a shoulder width grip
and upright torso generally won't pose a problem when executed with proper
form.
As a weekly recommendation, one overhead triceps extension or lying triceps
extension for the long head combined with one pressdown movement for the
lateral head should be sufficient for complete triceps stimulation when combined
with horizontal and vertical pressing exercises for the chest and shoulders. From
there, a close grip press and/or narrow grip dip can be optionally mixed in
depending on your specific training goals.
After the biceps and triceps, the third major
muscle of the upper arm is the brachialis. The
brachialis is not clearly visible on the surface of
the arm (unless one is very lean and holding the
arm in a flexed position), but runs underneath
the biceps and helps to push them further
outward for increased upper arm size.
Like the biceps, the primary function of the
brachialis is to flex the elbow. Since the
brachialis is already heavily involved in every curling exercise that is performed
for the biceps, it does not need to be specifically isolated and will be fully
developed through the use of basic curls alone.
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The final muscle group to consider when it comes to maximizing overall arm
development from top to bottom are the forearms. Although the forearms will
already be stimulated for growth during any exercise where heavier gripping is
involved, additional isolation work can be optionally included for those whose
forearms are clearly a lagging body part or who are specifically aiming to
maximize their forearm size and strength.
The first two areas to focus on for muscle
building purposes are the wrist flexors (the
muscles that run along the underside of the
forearm) and wrist extensors (those that
run along the top).
Since the primary function of these muscles
is to flex and extend the wrist, the most
common exercises most lifters use to target
them are wrist curls and wrist extensions.
However, since the strength of the forearm
muscles (which are capable of handling
extremely heavy loads) far exceeds that of the relatively weak joint they cross (the
wrist), it’s actually the wrist joint that ends up becoming the limiting factor
during these movements. Not only does this result in far less than optimal
hypertrophic stimulation of the wrist flexors and extensors, but it also places the
wrists into a dangerous position that increases the chances for injury both to the
joint and surrounding nerves.
In order to get around this and fully maximize the stress on the forearm muscles
while also minimizing the risk of injury, wrist curls and wrist extensions are best
avoided and instead replaced by gripping exercises, as these movements
eliminate the wrist joint from the equation and allow the forearms to be trained
using the full loads they’re able to handle. Some effective options include farmer's
walks (this exercise also train the traps and core to a fairly significant degree),
dumbbell static holds (this simply involves standing stationary with a pair of
dumbbells held at the sides), pull up bar holds (same idea, except that you’ll be
hanging from a pull up bar instead), and hand gripper devices.
Aside from the wrist flexors and extensors,
the other major area of the forearm that can
be isolated for further growth is the
brachioradialis, which is a thick band of
muscle that runs along the top/inner side of
the forearm.
The brachioradialis assists with elbow
flexion when the wrist is in either a neutral or pronated (palms facing down)
position, making hammer curls (using either dumbbells or a rope attachment on
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a cable machine) and reverse curls (using a barbell, ez-curl bar, dumbbells or
cables) the best choices for targeting this muscle.
If you are planning to include some direct forearm work in your training plan,
just make sure to save it until the very end of your workouts so that it doesn't
interfere with your gripping strength on your other larger compound exercises.
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ABS
The abdominals are broken up into two major muscles: the rectus abdominis and
transverse abdominis.
The rectus abdominis makes up the visible “six pack” muscle on the surface of the
abdomen and performs the primary function of spinal flexion (bending forward
at the waist).
The transverse abdominis (or “TVA”) runs underneath the rectus abdominis and
wraps around the spine to protect and stabilize the core. Since the TVA is hidden
from view and does not contribute to the appearance of a more “defined”
midsection in any way, the primary focus for muscle building purposes should be
placed on the rectus abdominis.
The question of whether or not the abdominals even require direct work in the
first place is an often debated issue, with many claiming that large compound
exercises like squats and deadlifts are enough to train these muscles effectively on
their own. However, while it is true that the anterior core muscles are involved in
these movements to a certain degree, the amount of direct stimulation they
receive is still fairly limited overall. EMG data on the squat has consistently
shown activation levels of 20% or less of maximum voluntary isometric
contraction (MVIC) in the rectus abdominis, with deadlifts landing around 60%.
In fact, inducing a strong contraction in the rectus abdominis during a squat or
deadlift would actually be directly counterproductive to the movement, leading to
increased compression in the lower back and reduced spinal stability by forcing
the spinal erector muscles to work excessively hard to counteract the shortening
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of the abdominal wall. The bottom line is that, while compound exercises like
squats and deadlifts (as well as other basic lifts like pull ups, overhead presses,
bent over rows, bench presses etc.) will all provide some amount of indirect work
for the rectus abdominis, they can’t be relied upon solely for the purpose of
abdominal training. If you want to develop your six pack muscles to their full
potential and achieve the most impressive looking midsection possible, isolated
ab work is a necessity.
That said, it's important to keep in mind that direct ab training itself will only
make a noticeable difference to your physique if your body fat levels are low
enough for the rectus abdominis to be visible in the first place. Isolated ab
exercises are only intended to build up the underlying abdominal muscles in
order to help them “pop out” more noticeably, but will have no effect on the
stored fat in and around the midsection area.
There’s no way to specifically target fat loss from one area of your body over
another through resistance training (we’ll discuss this in more detail later on in
the chapter), and the only way to burn off any excess belly fat you may be
carrying is by lowering your overall body fat percentage through a calorie deficit.
If your body fat percentage is simply too high, that six pack will remain mostly (or
entirely) hidden underneath the layer of fat sitting on top. Although the figures
will vary from person to person depending on a variety of factors, a body fat
percentage somewhere around the mid-teens for men and low twenties for
women is when ab definition will begin to clearly show through.
There are a nearly endless variety of different exercises that could be potentially
used to train the abs effectively, but since the primary function of the rectus
abdominis is to flex the spine, the main go-to movement to focus on should be a
basic crunching exercise. The simplest option here would be to perform a
weighted crunch using a dumbbell or weight plate held at chest level, either
performed laying flat on the floor, or for an improved stretch and contraction in
the abs, on a swiss ball or decline bench. An even better variation would be a
kneeling cable crunch using a rope attachment, as this provides a larger range of
motion and keeps the abs under constant tension throughout the entire
movement.
Aside from crunches, another highly effective exercise that activates the abs
isometrically without any spinal flexion involved (as well as training the entire
core musculature in general) are planks. While weighted spinal flexion should not
pose a problem when done using proper form and moderate loads, those with
pre-existing lower back issues who experience discomfort during crunches will be
best off to stick with other alternatives. A basic straight plank can be used for
this, as can a swiss ball plank (a more advanced variation that can be graduated
to once the straight plank is no longer a challenge), or a swiss ball “stir-the-pot”
which combines a plank with circular arm motions (an even more advanced but
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highly effective option for those who have built up the necessary strength to
perform them).
The final primary movement pattern for stimulating ab hypertrophy would be a
leg raise. While any basic ab exercise you perform will train the entire rectus
abdominis muscle as a whole, leg raises shift more emphasis onto the lower
region which can often be a slightly more difficult area to target. These can be
done in the form of a reverse crunch or lying leg raise, or as a hanging leg raise
for those who are slightly more advanced. On all of these movements, a dumbbell
can be held between the ankles for added resistance.
Keep in mind that the abs are a muscle just like any other and respond to
progressive overload in exactly the same way, so any abdominal movements that
you can already perform easily using just your body weight should be increased in
difficulty by utilizing added resistance. You wouldn’t train your chest, arms or
any other muscle group by sticking solely to very light weight sets of 25, 50 or 100
reps at a time, so there’s no reason to train your abs this way either as is so
commonly done.
A reliable template for weekly ab training would be to select one crunching
exercise and combine it with either a planking movement or a leg raise depending
on which one feels most effective for you in terms of abdominal activation.
Performing all three movements throughout the week is an option as well for
those who want to hone in more closely on their abs for maximum development,
with some further potential add-ons to consider being ab wheel slides, dead bugs,
double leg thrusts and side planks.
The other muscle group that is commonly brought up during discussions of
abdominal training are the obliques, which are further separated into the external
obliques and internal obliques. The external obliques are the visible “fish gill”
muscles that run along either side of the rectus abdominis, while the internal
obliques run underneath.
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The obliques perform a variety of functions including spinal flexion, spinal
rotation (twisting the torso from side to side) and lateral spinal flexion (bending
the torso from side to side).
Since the obliques are already targeted during abdominal exercises such as
crunches and leg raises due to the overlapping function of spinal flexion – and
because they also receive additional indirect stimulation on compound lifts for
your large muscle groups – they generally don't require further isolation work in
order to be trained effectively.
It should also be noted that over-development of the obliques can potentially lead
to the appearance of a wider, “blockier” looking midsection as the lower portion
of the muscle closer to the waistline increases in size. For that reason, additional
oblique work would only be recommended for those trainees who are specifically
aiming to bring up the development of these muscles if they don't seem to be
showing through noticeably despite being at a relatively low body fat level.
If that is the case, the two main recommended oblique movements to include
would be a twisting cable crunch and/or a cable woodchop. Twisting cable
crunches are performed in the same way as the standard kneeling rope crunch for
the abs, except with added trunk rotation by bringing one elbow down to the
opposite knee (rotating back and forth between each side) rather than crunching
down in a straight line. If you don’t have access to a cable machine, twisting
crunches can also be performed lying flat on the floor or on a swiss ball or decline
bench.
A cable woodchop is another highly effective oblique exercise that utilizes pure
trunk rotation in order to hone in on this one function specifically. These can be
done from a standing or kneeling position, pulling from either a high to low or
low to high angle, and using a rope attachment or a single hand cable attachment.
Experiment with a few different variations here to see which one feels most
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comfortable and allows you to feel the strongest level of activation in your oblique
muscles.
Side bends (using a dumbbell or weight plate) are another oblique exercise you'll
commonly see being performed in the gym, however, these shouldn’t be
necessary if the previously mentioned ab and oblique movements are already
being utilized, not to mention that they carry a slightly higher risk for lower back
injury as well.
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THIGHS/GLUTES
Due to their large relative size and significant strength capability, the muscles of
the upper leg (quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes) are generally regarded as the
most physically and mentally demanding muscle groups on the body to train.
Compound lower body exercises allow for the use of very heavy weights,
stimulate multiple major muscle groups at the same time, and place the entire
body under a higher level of overall stress in comparison to virtually all other
exercises. As a result of this increased difficulty, many trainees end up skimping
out on their leg workouts (often without even truly realizing it) by performing less
total volume, frequency or by not pushing their sets to the same level of intensity
as they do on their upper body lifts.
In reality, a well developed set of quads, hamstrings and glutes play a much
bigger role in the appearance of total body strength and muscularity than most
people realize. Not only is it a clear sign of hard work and perseverance in the
gym, but it also accentuates the much sought after “v-tapered look” by creating
the appearance of a smaller waistline.
Beginning with the quadriceps (the front of the thigh), there are four individual
heads that make up this complete muscle group: the vastus lateralis (outer
portion), vastus medialis (inner portion), rectus femoris (middle portion) and
vastus intermedius (middle portion lying underneath the rectus femoris).
The primary function of these heads is knee extension (straightening out the
lower leg) with the rectus femoris also assisting with hip flexion (raising the knee
up toward the torso).
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The most fundamental movement pattern to target the quads for hypertrophy is
the squat. Squats can be done in the form of a traditional barbell back squat, or as
any number of other squatting variations including front squats, dumbbell split
squats, hack squats, various types of machine squats, or other less common
options such as zercher squats, barbell hack squats, pistol squats or goblet squats.
While any squatting variation will ultimately train the quads effectively for
increased size and strength when performed with sufficient load and intensity,
the default go-to recommendation would be the basic barbell back squat.
Assuming you have a squat rack available and no physical limitations preventing
you from performing them, barbell squats will generally give you the greatest
overall bang for your buck when it come to lower body training.
That said, despite working very well as a primary quad exercise (and despite how
highly revered they are in bodybuilding and fitness circles, often touted as a
“must have” lift that all serious trainees shouldn’t go without), there's nothing
inherently “magical” about the barbell squat and it isn't absolutely mandatory
that it be performed in order to achieve significant quad hypertrophy. If for some
reason you're unable to do regular barbell squats (whether it be due to equipment
limitations or injury), selecting a different squatting variation is also acceptable.
Aside from squats, other highly effective compound quadriceps exercises include
leg presses (either as a 45 degree leg press or seated leg press), lunges (barbell or
dumbbell) and step-ups (barbell or dumbbell). One benefit of the leg press is that
it allows for a slightly more “quad focused” workout since, unlike free weight
squats, there is no balance or coordination aspect involved. This allows you to
place all of the focus on moving the weight using pure strength from the quads
only, without the muscles of the lower back becoming a potential limiting factor
in the exercise.
When it comes to lunges and step-ups, one advantage to these exercises is that
they allow you to train your quads effectively while placing less stress on the
lower back, since the movements are performed one leg at a time and relatively
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lighter weights can be used as a result. This is especially true when performing
these lifts with a pair of dumbbells held at the sides, since there is much less
spinal loading involved in comparison to carrying the weight across the upper
back.
One final quadriceps exercise to consider is the leg extension, which is a machine
movement that trains the quads in isolation with minimal involvement from
surrounding muscle groups. Leg extensions would not be considered an
“essential” exercise to include in an effective quad training plan, but can be
optionally utilized as a finishing movement at the end of your workout. The
upside to the leg extension is that it provides a way to get in some extra volume
for the quads without the added lower back fatigue and increased total body
stress that the larger compound movements produce. Due to the much more
demanding nature of heavier exercises like squats, leg presses, lunges etc., there’s
only so many sets of these lifts you can perform before the overall workload for
the session becomes too high.
The leg extension is often criticized as being a potentially dangerous exercise that
places excessive stress on the knee joints, and while it should ideally be avoided
by any trainees with pre-existing knee issues, those with otherwise healthy knees
shouldn't have a problem as long as proper form is being used. If you are going to
include leg extensions in your plan, just make sure to perform the exercise using
a more moderate weight for higher reps, and avoid the use of momentum in favor
of a slower, more controlled lifting tempo.
An effective baseline template for weekly quad exercise selection would be to
perform one squatting movement along with one other compound quad exercise
of your choice (leg press, lunge or step-up), with leg extensions being optionally
included depending on your specific goals and weekly training structure.
The second major muscle group of the thighs are the hamstrings, which are also
separated into four individual heads. Listed from innermost to outermost, these
include the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, biceps femoris long head and
biceps femoris short head.
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The hamstrings tend to be an underdeveloped muscle on many trainees, as it's
commonly believed that compound quad focused exercises such as squats, leg
presses and lunges are enough to effectively target them on their own. However,
since the hamstrings only act as a stabilizing muscle during compound quad
movements and experience little to no change in length throughout the range of
motion, they actually receive very little hypertrophic benefit from these lifts. Not
only does under-training the hamstrings result in imbalanced thigh development
in terms of overall muscularity, but being excessively “quad dominant” also
moves the knee joint out of its optimal position and is a frequent cause of injuries
to this area.
The primary functions of the hamstrings are hip extension (backward movement
of the thigh) and knee flexion (backward bending of the knee joint).
All four heads are activated during both functions (the one exception being for
the biceps femoris short head which does not assist with hip extension and can
only be targeted through knee flexion exercises), and both movement patterns
should ideally be utilized for complete, balanced hamstring development.
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Hip extension is a compound movement that trains the hamstrings along with
the glutes and spinal erectors. There are several effective exercises that can be
used to target this function, the most highly recommended lift being the
Romanian deadlift. Either the barbell or dumbbell variation is acceptable, though
the added advantage to dumbbells is that they place a lower amount of stress on
the lower back since the resistance can be held slightly out to the sides of the
body rather than directly out in front. Conventional deadlifts also train the
hamstrings with reasonable effectiveness, though not to the same degree as the
Romanian version since the lower starting position of the hips removes tension
from the hamstrings in the bottom portion of the lift.
If you’re unable to perform Romanian deadlifts due to lower back discomfort,
another effective option to test out would be a glute-ham raise. This exercise
combines both hip extension and knee flexion into a single movement and places
the hamstrings under a high degree of tension using little to no added resistance.
The only downside is that many gyms don't have a proper glute-ham raise bench
available, and it can often be tricky to find a place to properly perform them. In
addition, those with pre-existing knee issues may find the movement slightly
uncomfortable.
Aside from Romanian deadlifts and glute-ham raises, another hip extension
variation that can be utilized is the reverse hyperextension, as this movement
provides a large range of motion for the hips and can also be done with very little
additional load placed on the lower back. As with the glute-ham raise though, it
can sometimes be difficult to find a good place to perform them depending on
your training setup.
After your hip extension movement has been completed, an isolated knee flexion
exercise should be included to target the hamstrings through their second
primary function and to ensure full stimulation of the biceps femoris short head
which will be inactive when performing strict hip extension only. A basic leg curl
will be the best option for this, with either the lying, seated or standing versions
all being acceptable choices. Given that there's no particular muscle building
advantage associated with performing one type of leg curl over another, you can
simply go with whichever variation feels most comfortable for you.
To fully train the hamstrings as part of your weekly lower body routine, just select
one hip extension exercise and pair it up with one leg curling exercise. Additional
work can be optionally included for the hamstrings depending on your specific
training goals and experience level, but this will serve as a reliable baseline
template to follow.
The last muscle group to consider after the quads and hamstrings is the glutes,
which are comprised of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus
minimus.
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The largest and most visible of these three heads is the gluteus maximus (in fact,
the glute max is the single largest muscle on the entire body), and this is the main
area that should be focused on for the goal of building bigger, more muscular
glutes. The gluteus maximus performs a wide variety of functions and can be
trained through the use of many different movement patterns, but hip extension
(as we just covered) and hip transverse abduction (moving the thighs out to the
side of the body while the hips are in a bent position) would be the primary
functions to target for muscle building purposes.
It's important to keep in mind that the glutes are already stimulated to a certain
degree during compound exercises for the quads and hamstrings, such as squats,
leg presses, lunges and Romanian deadlifts. As you progressively overload these
lifts over time, the glutes will automatically grow larger and stronger along the
way. However, since these exercises do not maximally load the glutes through
their primary function of hip extension, those who are looking to fully optimize
the development of these muscles will still need to include some additional direct
work.
The single most effective movement for this purpose is the hip thrust, as this
exercise fully stresses the gluteus maximus all the way through to full hip
extension with only modest involvement of the quads and hamstrings. A basic
barbell hip thrust would be the most highly recommended variation of this lift,
though it can also be performed single-legged using a dumbbell or weight plate
for added resistance.
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Aside from the hip thrust, three other reliable choices when it comes to glute max
training would be a hyperextension (with the upper back slightly rounded and
toes pointed outward to specifically emphasize the glutes), glute kickback (using
either a cable machine or kickback machine depending on what you have
available), and/or a seated hip abduction movement to target the glute max
through its other main function of hip transverse abduction. (If you don't have
access to a seated hip abduction machine, this exercise can also be performed
using resistance bands.) Every trainee is a bit different in terms of their
individual body structure and preferences, so you’ll ideally want to experiment
with a few different variations of each exercise to see which ones produce the
highest level of glute activation for you.
The amount of direct glute-focused work that should be performed (if any)
primarily depends on the individual and their specific training goals. Female
lifters tend to be more interested in developing this particular area of their
physique, whereas men may not consider it a priority. If compound quad and
hamstring training is already producing sufficient glute building results that
you’re satisfied with – or if achieving maximum glute hypertrophy is simply not a
concern for you – additional glute exercises would not be considered a necessity.
However, if significantly increasing overall glute size and strength is a primary
training goal of yours, a hip thrusting movement done in combination with one
or two other direct exercises (hyperextension, kickback and/or seated hip
abduction) would be a reliable starting template to follow.
Those who really want to ramp up their glute training efforts even further can
also perform some additional work for the gluteus medius, a smaller muscle
(roughly half the size of the glute max) that makes up the upper portion of the
glute area. Some effective choices for training the glute medius would be a
standing cable hip abduction exercise (this movement can also be done from a
side lying position using a resistance band), banded sidewalks and/or side lying
clams.
As a final tip on the subject of glute training, it should also be noted that the
emphasis can be shifted more toward the glutes during compound quad exercises
such as squats, leg presses, lunges and step-ups by using a slightly wider stance
and pointing the toes outward at a 45 degree angle. If achieving glute
hypertrophy is a higher priority for you in comparison to building your quads,
these are two optional form adjustments you can make to better suit these
movements to your specific goals.
To finish this section off, one other question that often comes up on the subject of
lower body training in general is whether or not a weightlifting belt should be
used to provide additional support for the lower back on heavier compound lifts
like squats and deadlifts. Lifting belts work by increasing intra-abdominal
pressure (imagine a balloon inflating inside of your stomach to get a visual idea of
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what this means) which helps to stabilize the spine when placed under larger
loads.
All in all, weightlifting belts should simply be viewed as an optional tool
specifically for more advanced trainees who have progressed to lifting weights
that feel quite heavy for their body, or for those with pre-existing lower back
issues who may benefit from the added support. In all other cases (especially for
beginning lifters), the focus should be placed on building up an overall size and
strength foundation first and foremost, only adding in a belt later on if it becomes
truly necessary.
Keep in mind that your core muscles already act as an “internal lifting belt” of
sorts, and you’ll want to maximize the engagement and development of that
natural belt first before relying on any additional external tools. The way to make
use of your internal lifting belt is by learning how to “brace your core” any time
you perform a big compound exercise. To do this, draw a big breath deep into
your belly prior to each rep, lock the air in tightly and hold it, and then push your
stomach outward as you perform the movement. (A good cue for this is to
perform the same motion you would as if someone was about to punch you in the
stomach.) Exhale once the rep is complete, and then repeat before the next one.
When you engage your core properly like this, the deep abdominal muscles
squeeze the viscera (an envelope that holds your organs) upward into your
diaphragm and downward into the pelvis, increasing intra-abdominal pressure in
the same way that a weightlifting belt does.
If you do decide to include an external lifting belt in your workouts, just make
sure that you’re using it properly or it may actually end up doing you more harm
than good. This means wearing the belt tight enough to provide significant
support, but loose enough that you’re still able to draw a full breath into your
stomach. As you draw in that breath, you should feel your entire trunk fill up with
air and should feel pressure on the belt in all directions (not just the front). The
purpose of the belt is to provide something extra to brace your core against
during the lift (sucking the gut inward as many lifters do is actually the opposite
of how a belt is properly utilized), so always make sure to leave enough space to
allow for this. If you can’t breathe properly, loosen the belt up a notch or two.
Also keep in mind that belts should ideally be used only on heavier sets involving
85% or more of your one rep max, and only on exercises where they're truly
needed, in particular the squat, deadlift/rack pull, and overhead press. (As an
added note, you should never wear a belt during exercises that are performed
lying or seated.)
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CALVES
The calves are a unique muscle in that, out of any muscle group on the body, they
tend to be the one most heavily influenced by genetic factors. On the one hand
are those individuals who possess naturally thick, muscular calves without ever
needing to directly target them in the gym at all, while others seem stuck with
only marginal development despite training their calves intensely multiple days a
week.
One of the main factors influencing the growth capability of
any given trainee's calves is the specific structure of their lower
leg, in particular the length of the calf tendon. The longer the
calf tendon is, the “shorter” the calf muscles will appear and
the less potential they'll have for overall size increases since
there will be less total mass to work with. A long calf tendon is
very helpful for explosive movements like sprinting and
jumping (due to the higher amount of elastic energy that can
be stored), but is not ideal when it comes to the goal of building
bigger, more muscular looking calves.
To make things even more challenging, the calves also tend to contain lower
concentrations of androgen receptors relative to other muscle groups (these are
the areas of the muscle where testosterone attaches in order to stimulate protein
synthesis), and are made up of a higher distribution of slow-twitch fibers, making
them less susceptible to growth in comparison to other more fast-twitch
dominant body parts.
This doesn't mean that those with naturally thin calves can’t still build them up to
a significant degree given enough time and effort, but there's no question that
getting the calf muscles to really “pop out” noticeably can be a much longer and
more difficult road for some trainees. As with anything, the key is to simply make
the best of what you have and work on maximizing your own potential based on
your individual genetics and body structure.
In terms of anatomy, the calves are broken up into two separate muscles: the
gastrocnemius and soleus. The gastrocnemius makes up the outer “diamondshaped” portion of the calf muscle that is visible on the surface of the lower leg,
and is further broken up into a medial head (inner portion) and lateral head
(outer portion).
The soleus is a thick, flat muscle that runs underneath the gastrocnemius.
Although it is largely hidden from view, the soleus is actually a relatively large
muscle (containing slightly more total mass than the gastrocnemius) and helps to
push the gastrocnemius further out in order to increase overall visible calf size.
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Both of these muscles perform the same basic function of plantar flexion
(pointing the foot downwards), though the angle of the knees will affect which
area of the calf is specifically emphasized. The gastrocnemius takes on a greater
percentage of the work when the knees are in a straightened position, while the
soleus becomes the prime mover when the knees are bent.
The gastrocnemius also assists with knee
flexion (which is why the calves can be felt
working to a certain degree during leg curling
exercises), though the effect here is fairly
insignificant for muscle building purposes.
The calves also receive a small amount of
indirect stimulation during compound lower
body exercises like squats, leg presses and
lunges, but since they only act as a stabilizing
muscle and don’t actually change in length throughout these movements, the
resulting hypertrophic benefit is quite minimal.
In order to properly target the calves for increased growth, direct isolation work
in the form of calf raises is a must and is the only real way to generate a
significant muscle building response. Virtually any calf raise exercise that moves
the calves through a full range of motion (heels fully extended at the bottom and
calves fully flexed at the top) with the knees in a straightened position (to
emphasize the gastrocnemius since it is the most visible portion of the calf
muscle) can be used effectively as a primary calf training movement.
Some viable choices include standing machine calf raises, smith machine calf
raises, single leg dumbbell calf raises, leg press calf raises, donkey calf raises
(though these can be tricky to properly load unless you have a training partner
available to assist you), or any other basic machine calf raise variation. The
specific movement you choose can ultimately just come down to personal
preference based on which exercise feels most comfortable for you and allows you
to feel your calves working most effectively.
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It should be noted that standing calf raise exercises where the load is placed
across the upper back (such as standing machine calf raises or smith machine calf
raises) do involve a much higher degree of spinal loading, so those with preexisting lower back issues will usually be best off to go with one of the other
variations mentioned.
After your primary calf raise exercise has been completed, a seated calf raise
movement can be included to specifically focus in on the soleus muscle. The most
effective exercise for this purpose would be a seated machine calf raise due to the
ease of loading involved, though a free weight variation using either a barbell or
pair of dumbbells placed across the knees can be optionally used if you don’t have
access to a seated calf raise machine.
Since the calves are so heavily dependent on genetic factors, the number of
different exercise variations included (as well as the overall volume and
frequency utilized throughout the week) should be based on the individual goals
of the trainee. Those with naturally muscular calves may opt for only a single calf
raise exercise during the week (or perhaps may not even train them directly at all
in some situations), while those with weaker calf genetics can increase that to two
or three different variations using the higher end of the volume/frequency range
if achieving maximal calf growth is a primary goal.
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PROGRAM VARIATION
You’ve now gained a solid foundational understanding of the various functions
for each individual muscle group and which weight training movements are best
suited for targeting them. Once a specific set of exercises have been selected for
your workout plan, another important question to answer is how long you should
stick with those particular movements before changing things up and moving on
to a different sequence of lifts.
A common recommendation you’ll come across for this is that your exercise
selection (as well as your rep ranges, rest intervals, exercise order and other
workout variables) should be constantly switched around every few weeks (or
even every single week) to prevent your body from becoming accustomed to one
particular mode of training. Often referred to as the principle of “muscle
confusion”, this method is claimed to improve overall gains by continually
providing a novel stimulus and “shocking” the muscles into further and further
growth.
However, while varying your workouts from week to week might seem to make
sense on the surface as a way of preventing stagnation, the reality is that
following an inconsistent training approach like this is actually one of the most
fundamental lifting mistakes you could make. The main reason for this is that by
frequently mixing up your training variables every time you enter the gym, it will
become far more difficult (if not impossible) to accurately track your strength
gains in order to maximize progressive overload.
For example, if this week’s chest workout consists of a low rep dumbbell press
and medium rep cable fly, followed by a medium rep barbell press and high rep
machine fly the next week, followed by something different yet again the week
after that, you won’t have anything concrete to measure your performance
against. In all likelihood, you’ll simply end up spinning your wheels and
“program hopping” from one workout plan to the next, only progressing at a
fraction of your true potential in the big picture, if at all.
As we discussed at the beginning of the chapter, progressive overload is the single
most important baseline factor in your entire training program and is where your
primary focus must be placed if you want to consistently build new muscle over
time. Beyond any particular set of exercises, rep schemes, lifting techniques or
training splits, the simple fact that you’re continually getting stronger and
building upon your past workout performance is the ultimate bottom line of
everything you do in the gym. If your strength levels are steadily increasing then
you’ll know that your workouts are on the right track, whereas if they’ve
significantly slowed down or plateaued, you’ll know that something in your plan
is off and needs to be adjusted. The only way to properly determine this is by
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having a structured program in place that you can clearly measure from session
to session.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the strength increases you experience
during the first few weeks of performing a new exercise are largely dictated by
neurological adaptations rather than direct muscular adaptations. In other
words, your CNS is adjusting to the new motor pattern and becoming
increasingly skilled at recruiting the existing muscle fibers you already have in
order to perform it more efficiently. By sticking with one specific set of exercises
over a longer term training cycle, you can be sure that the strength gains
generated are primarily coming from increases in actual muscle mass rather than
simply being a result of improved neural efficiency.
As you gain more and more experience with a particular exercise over a
consistent period of time, you’ll also develop a stronger mind-muscle connection
with it and become increasingly effective at activating the targeted muscle group
using that specific movement. If you’re constantly bouncing around from one
exercise to the next, you’ll never have a chance to truly master any one particular
lift in order to derive the maximum benefit from it. When it comes to stimulating
hypertrophy, performing a small handful of movements with a high degree of
skill will get you much further in the long run in comparison to a large number of
movements being done with mediocre technique.
For all of the reasons outlined above, it’s strongly recommended that you ignore
the misguided notion of “muscle confusion” altogether and instead commit
yourself fully to one specific workout plan with pre-set training variables in place,
only moving on to a different plan when it truly becomes necessary to do so. That
way you’ll be able to track exactly where your strength levels are at any given
time, what needs to be accomplished in order to boost them further, and precisely
when you’ve hit a legitimate sticking point that needs to be addressed.
There’s no single “perfect” length of time that any one training program should
be followed for, whether it’s 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 6 months or more. However, the
bottom line is that if you’re continuing to achieve progressive overload on a given
routine without any signs of significant slow down, you’ll know the plan is
working effectively and should simply continue on with it for as long as you’re
able to keep generating those ongoing strength gains. If and when your progress
does begin to clearly plateau, you can then modify your approach in terms of
exercise selection, volume, frequency, training split etc. in order to get things
moving again.
Aside from plateaus in strength, another viable reason to shift from one workout
plan to another would be to adjust your lifting approach as you progress through
various stages of training as was discussed in the previous volume/frequency
section. This could mean graduating from a full body beginner’s routine to an
intermediate upper/lower split, or an upper/lower split to a legs/push/pull
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routine as you become more advanced. (The specific instructions for how to go
about this along with the exact training routines for each phase are outlined in
The Body Transformation Blueprint Workout System.)
There’s something to be said for the basic issue of psychological variety as well,
and changing your workouts around at certain points purely to keep things fresh
and interesting is an option as well if you find that this helps to increase your
overall motivation and enjoyment in the gym.
While there are several possible scenarios where switching between training
plans would make sense, the key takeaway here is that you should only do so after
having properly committed to one pre-set program first (typically for at least 8
weeks as a minimum), and making measurable strength progress on the exercises
within that program before moving on. Varying your workouts significantly every
week or few weeks like many lifters do is not only completely unnecessary for
building muscle, but will be directly counterproductive to your size and strength
gains over the long term.
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REP RANGE & EXECUTION
Having a properly structured training program in terms of your weekly workout
split, exercise selection, volume and frequency is of course critical to your muscle
building progress. When you simplify it right down to the basics though, it’s the
individual sets and reps in the gym that are what ultimately count. In order to
stimulate hypertrophy as effectively as possible, how many total reps should you
perform per set, and how should those reps be executed in terms of overall form
and speed?
When it comes to selecting a rep range, the first thing to keep in mind is that,
given adequate training intensity and proper form, virtually any rep range will
produce gains in muscle size as long as consistent strength increases are being
achieved within that particular range. Whether you’re performing as few as 3 reps
per set or as many as 20, a certain amount of muscle growth will inevitably follow
if the focus remains on progressive overload and the proper nutritional habits are
in place to support new gains. That said, there does exist a general “hypertrophy
sweet spot” where the majority of your training should be focused if the primary
goal is to maximize muscle growth and improve body composition.
When utilizing a very low rep approach (roughly 1-4 per set), the emphasis shifts
away from gains in lean mass and instead onto improvements in neurological
efficiency. As previously discussed, this is where the body becomes increasingly
effective at recruiting the existing muscle fibers it already has as opposed to
building new ones. This is a great approach for powerlifting and for other sports
that require very quick bursts in maximal strength, but is not ideal for those
wanting to optimize muscular hypertrophy. You’ll certainly still put on additional
mass even when training in a lower rep range like this, but it won’t be to the same
degree that you’d get from going slightly higher.
At the other end of the spectrum are high rep sets in the 12-15+ range. While
training at this level will also produce a certain amount of hypertrophy over time
on an otherwise properly structured workout plan, it won’t be ideal for muscle
building purposes due to the shift in emphasis toward endurance-related
adaptations. As you drift into higher and higher rep counts, the cardiovascular
system becomes increasingly involved in the exercise, muscle acidity levels rise
and mental focus gradually declines, making it much more difficult to properly
train the targeted muscles up to their true point of failure without being limited
by these additional factors. These types of sets would be highly effective if you
were training primarily for an endurance sport or were wanting to build up your
cardiovascular conditioning, but they won’t be the best choice if the main goal is
to increase muscle size.
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This is not to say that very low rep/maximum weight sets should never be utilized
or that high rep “pump sets” are a complete waste of time, but if they are going to
be included in your workouts, they should simply be viewed as optional add-ons
and only make up a small percentage of the total sets you perform.
If the primary goal is to maximize gains in lean muscle mass (rather than to gain
raw strength or build muscular endurance), landing somewhere in between the
two ends of the spectrum at around 5-10 reps per set will be an effective middle
ground figure to aim for. While training at the recommended intensity level of 1-2
reps short of failure, this means the weight should be light enough that you can
complete at least 5 reps in proper form, but heavy enough that you can’t complete
more than 10.
This particular range is not too high, not too low, and places muscular
hypertrophy as the primary adaptation while still producing significant gains in
strength to allow you to progress in weight efficiently over time. Staying within a
more moderate rep range like this also reduces strain on the joints in comparison
to very heavy low rep sets, and improves muscular overload in comparison to
higher rep sets since cardiovascular capacity, muscle acidity and mental focus
won’t become limiting factors during the exercise.
Anywhere within this 5-10 rep range will ultimately be effective, with the use of a
variety of different rep counts across your workouts being ideal. However, those
exercises that place the joints into a slightly more vulnerable position (such as
chest flys, lateral raises, overhead extensions, leg curls and leg extensions to
name a few) are best performed with more moderate loads at the higher end of
the range for safety reasons.
Some lifters tend to shy away from performing lower reps down toward the 5-7
range, often because they don’t directly “feel” these sets working their muscles as
intensely in comparison to going a bit higher. As you drift beyond the 10 rep
mark or so, a much stronger “burning” sensation is typically felt (this is due to an
increase in hydrogen ion concentrations as ATP is broken down for energy),
along with a greater “pumped” feeling in the muscles as larger volumes of blood
and fluid become trapped within the tissue.
However, it’s important to note that while “feeling the burn” and achieving a
strong muscle pump might make it seem as though you’re getting more out of
each set, neither of these factors are central triggers for muscle growth on their
own, nor should they be relied upon as indicators that you’re having a successful
workout. After all, if the underlying goal of any given set was to get your muscles
to burn as deeply as possible and to create the largest resulting pump, grabbing
onto a pair of ultra light dumbbells and performing hundreds of reps per set
would be the most effective method of bodybuilding training available, something
we obviously know not to be the case. In fact, even without using any resistance
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at all, simply flexing your muscles repeatedly while at rest could generate a
similar effect.
Beyond any particular burning or pumping sensation you feel, the single most
important muscle building factor in your workouts by far – and the one that
should always be treated as the ultimate gauge for success – is that of progressive
overload. As we covered in detail earlier, this is achieved by training roughly 1-2
reps short of failure on the majority of sets and consistently adding more weight
and reps to your exercises over time. A certain amount of “burn” and “pump” will
automatically result from this, but these are simply natural by-products of
intense resistance training rather than being limiting factors in the growth
process that should be directly strived for.
Aside from the issues of muscle burn and muscle pump, another seemingly
appealing characteristic of higher rep sets is the increased levels of muscle
soreness they tend to produce in the days that follow the workout. (Lower rep
sets will generate soreness as well, but usually not to the same degree.) That
tender, achy feeling that sets in around 24-48 hours after your session has ended
often creates the impression that the workout must have gone well and that the
targeted muscles have been effectively stimulated for growth. However, following
the same theme as the burn and pump, delayed onset muscle soreness (“DOMS”
for short) is also not indicative of having had a successful workout and isn’t
something that should be specifically aimed for as a result of training.
Although muscle soreness does signify that a certain level of damage has been
done to the tissue (most research suggests that DOMS is caused by an
inflammatory response which then sensitizes pain receptors within the muscle),
it does not necessarily mean that that damage will specifically lead to muscle
hypertrophy. Virtually any form of repetitive muscular stress will leave you
feeling sore afterwards to some extent, including activities totally unrelated to
building muscle, such as playing sports, outdoor activities, martial arts etc. Thus,
regardless of how sore or not sore you may feel after training, progressive
overload should still be treated as the ultimate bottom line.
If you do find the resulting muscle soreness you’re experiencing to be a bit of a
nuisance in the days following weight training, certain techniques can be used to
decrease it such as performing light “active recovery” cardio on your off days
(we’ll touch on this further in the next chapter), including some post workout
foam rolling and stretching in your plan, and by ensuring that your nutrition,
hydration, sleep and supplementation are all on point to optimize recovery.
It should also be noted that delayed onset muscle soreness is heavily subject to
what is known as the “repeated bout effect”, meaning that as you gain more
training experience over time and your body becomes increasingly adapted to
weightlifting, your levels of post workout soreness will gradually decline. It’s not
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uncommon for complete beginners to become extremely sore following their
workouts, whereas more advanced trainees may hardly get sore at all.
The final question that often comes up on the topic of proper rep range selection
is the effect of lower reps compared to higher reps in terms of increasing muscle
“bulk” versus improving muscle “definition”. It’s often said that lower rep ranges
are best used for building overall mass, while higher reps should be included to
“sculpt” the muscles and bring out further shape and detail. This is why many
trainees will often switch from a heavier weight/lower rep program to a lighter
weight/higher rep approach when transitioning from a bulking phase to a cutting
phase.
However, despite how widespread this traditional piece of training advice has
been over the years, the idea that “low reps build muscle” and “high reps define
the muscle” is completely misguided at its core and has no real physiological
basis behind it. This is because, when it all comes down to it, there really are only
two things you can do to change your muscles: you can make them bigger, or you
can make them smaller. There is no such thing as “bulky muscle” versus “lean
muscle” (muscle mass is muscle mass, period), and there are no special rep
ranges or lifting techniques that will allow you to “define” the muscles you’re
training by specifically burning fat off of them.
This idea is known as the fallacy of “spot reduction” and is one of the most
common misconceptions that beginning lifters routinely get confused by. They’ll
perform endless sets of crunches and leg raises trying to reduce the fat around
their midsection, for example, without realizing that these movements are simply
training the abdominal muscles underneath rather than burning the actual layer
of fat sitting on top.
Always keep in mind that any time you train with weights, it’s only the specific
muscles involved in the exercise that are being targeted rather than the fat stores
in and around that particular area. The process of fat loss only occurs on a total
body scale as you maintain a calorie deficit by consistently burning more calories
than you consume. As you remain in that deficit over time, your body will
gradually break down fat from all areas until your entire physique has leaned
down as a whole. However, there is no way to specifically “isolate” fat loss from
one area over another, and exactly where your body pulls fat from (and in what
order) is primarily determined by pre-set genetic patterns.
For that reason, weight training should always be treated solely as a method for
building overall muscle mass, with proper diet and cardio being used to take care
of the fat loss side of the equation. From there, the level of visible “shape” and
“definition” your muscles possess will simply be a product of how much total lean
mass you’re carrying in combination with your body fat percentage. The more
muscle you’ve built and the lower your body fat levels are as a whole, the more
defined your physique will appear.
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Tying this back to the topic of proper rep selection, this is why there is no need to
deviate from the basic 5-10 rep hypertrophy range regardless of whether your
main goal is to build muscle or to lose fat. Any time you wrap your hands around
a bar, your primary aim should always be to generate the strongest muscle
building stimulus possible, period. When you mistakenly switch to a light
weight/high rep program in an effort to “tone” or “sculpt”, all you’re really doing
is weakening the overall training effect by moving outside of the optimal
hypertrophy zone and up into a more endurance focused rep range, and without
any improvement in localized fat loss by doing so.
Now that we’ve answered the question of how many reps to perform per set and
why, the other important factor to address is how those reps should be executed
in terms of overall form and speed.
In order to optimize muscle hypertrophy and minimize injury risk, every rep of
every set should always be carried out in a deliberate manner using proper
technique, without the use of excessive momentum or “cheating” the weight up as
you lift it. A moderate amount of natural body movement is fine throughout the
exercise (we’re not robots after all), but you should always have the general sense
of being in complete control of the weight at all times rather than the other way
around. This is especially important on the bigger compound lifts (such as squats,
deadlifts, presses, rows etc.) since you'll be moving the greatest amount of total
weight and because these exercises are more complicated to execute from a
technical standpoint. Not only does all-out, maximum weight “ego lifting”
significantly increase the strain on your joints and connective tissues, but it
typically has a counterproductive effect on muscle growth as well by decreasing
hypertrophic stimulation of the targeted muscle group due to the compromised
form and technique.
Always keep in mind that the individual muscles themselves have no idea how
much actual weight is on the bar in terms of objective poundage. The only thing
they can directly experience and respond to is the specific degree of mechanical
tension they're being subjected to at any given moment. When you load the bar
up with more weight than you can truly handle and begin heaving it around with
sloppy technique and large amounts of momentum, that mechanical tension gets
dispersed throughout other parts of the body, causing surrounding muscles to
take over during the lift. By selecting a more moderate weight (one that still feels
heavy for you but that you’re able to lift under complete control), a greater
amount of tension can be applied to the specific intended muscle group for
improved stimulation and growth.
In addition, this also ensures that you’re able to utilize a full range of motion on
each rep, sufficiently activating the muscle fibers along their entire length. Fully
lifting and fully lowering the weight (rather than pumping out tiny “half reps” or
“quarter reps” like so many people in the gym commonly do), improves your size
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and strength gains by stressing the muscle both in its stretched and contracted
position, both of which are important when it comes to hypertrophic signalling.
Unless you’re an advanced trainee who is strategically using partial reps to bring
up weak points on certain lifts – or you’re attempting to work around an injury –
you should always aim to move the weight through the largest range you
comfortably can while still maintaining full tension on the targeted muscle.
Lastly on the issue of proper rep execution is the question of rep cadence. In
other words, how fast should you perform both the concentric and eccentric
phases of each rep for the best results? Although virtually any rep cadence will
ultimately be effective given sufficient intensity and a focus on progressive
overload, research has shown that certain speeds are superior to others when it
comes to optimizing muscle growth.
On the concentric phase of the rep (this is the “lifting” portion, such as the
pushing motion of a bench press), maximum motor unit recruitment occurs
within the muscle when the weight is moved as quickly as possible from point A
to point B using full force. This means that there is no set time frame for the
concentric phase, as your only goal is to lift the resistance using your full strength
capacity while maintaining proper form. The first few concentric reps of the set
should move very quickly, with further reps gradually slowing down a bit as your
energy stores run out and you come closer to reaching the point of muscular
failure.
The eccentric phase of the rep (this is the “negative” portion, such as the lowering
motion during a pull up) is a bit different, since the muscles are up to twice as
strong on this phase and will not be sufficiently challenged by simply dropping
the weight back to the starting point at full speed. In order to actively stress the
muscles during the eccentric portion (rather than just letting gravity do all the
work), a slower cadence should ideally be utilized here. Not only will this help to
produce additional muscular damage throughout the set, but it will also reduce
the strain on the joints as well.
Beyond any exact number of seconds, the most important factor on the eccentric
phase is that you lower the weight under deliberate control and consciously
“fight” it on the way down. As a general guideline, 2-4 seconds should be
sufficient to obtain all of the additional growth stimulating benefits of the
negative without going unnecessarily slow.
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REST BETWEEN SETS
With the proper guidelines now in place for executing an effective muscle
building set in terms of rep range, rep speed and overall form, the next question
to answer is how long you should be resting in between each of those individual
sets throughout your workout.
Many programs will simply advocate the use of one pre-set rest interval that
should be consistently followed on every exercise, ranging from as little as 30
seconds up to 3-4 minutes or more. Applying a single rest time across the board
like this is far from the best approach, however, since the ideal amount of rest
that should be taken is highly situational and can differ quite a bit depending on
which specific exercise is being performed. The more muscle groups that are
involved in a particular movement and the more total weight you’re lifting, the
more overall stress you’ll be placing on your body and the longer your rest
periods will need to be in order to keep performance maximized on each set.
For example, a set of heavy squats will be far more physically and mentally
demanding as a whole in comparison to a set of weighted pullups, while a set of
weighted pullups will be more challenging to perform than a set of biceps curls
will be. Utilizing the same rest period for every exercise (regardless of the
difficulty involved) can often end up sacrificing your strength on certain
movements by forcing you to jump into the next set before you’ve had a chance to
adequately recover from the previous one.
Remember that when it all comes down to it, effective muscle building training is
ultimately about achieving progressive overload by continually improving your
performance on all of your exercises over time. No set should be taken lightly,
and your goal should always be to perform each one with 100% of your strength,
energy and mental focus in tact. Intentionally using quicker rest times would
certainly be useful if your training goals revolved around improving muscular
endurance or cardiovascular conditioning, but in the world of muscle
hypertrophy and strength this simply doesn’t apply.
So, rather than setting a timer and automatically performing your next set after a
specific amount of time has passed, a much better approach is to simply listen to
your body and only move onto your next set once you feel fully physically and
mentally ready to do so. Whether that means resting 3 minutes after a set
deadlifts, 2.5 minutes after a set of dumbbell rows or 1.5 minutes after a set of
lateral raises, just take as much time as you need to in order to feel completely recharged and ready to give another maximum effort.
As a general guideline, you’ll probably find that a rest period anywhere between
1.5 to 3 minutes is appropriate for most lifts most of the time. However, if you do
feel that you require a bit more rest on a given exercise (or even throughout an
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entire workout if you happen to feel particularly fatigued that day), that’s fine too.
The research has consistently demonstrated that taking longer rest intervals
between sets produces superior muscle growth and strength gains in comparison
to shorter ones, so if in doubt, always rest a bit longer rather than shorter. Not
only will this improve your results when it comes to stimulating hypertrophy, but
it will also lower your chances for injury by reducing the likelihood of sudden
form slip-ups that may occur when trying to lift heavier loads while in a mentally
fatigued state.
In the interest of time efficiency, just make sure that you aren’t taking any more
rest than you truly need and always move right into your next set as soon as you
feel physically and mentally recovered from the previous one.
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TIMING & DURATION
You now have all of the key elements in place for executing an effective
hypertrophy-based workout. You’ve learned all about the foundational principle
of progressive overload, along with concrete guidelines for training volume,
frequency, exercise selection, workout variation, rep range, rep speed, rep
execution and rest between sets.
Two other questions that often arise on the subject of proper training are in
regards to workout timing and workout duration. In other words, when is the
best time of day to train for optimal strength and performance, and how long
should your workouts ideally last for the best results?
When it comes to workout timing, the late afternoon to mid evening hours are
when the body will be most primed for maximum strength and energy output
from a pure physiological standpoint. This is due to the way the body’s circadian
rhythm works and how various parts of the central nervous system are activated
throughout each 24 hour period.
Assuming you have a typical sleeping and waking schedule in place, positioning
your workout somewhere between approximately 2pm-9pm would theoretically
be the best time to train in order to take advantage of this. This is when core
temperature will be in the ideal range for peak performance, muscle activation
and blood flow will be optimized, joints and connective tissues will be less
susceptible to injury, and reaction times will be at their quickest. If you operate
on an irregular sleeping schedule, you’d need to wait about 5-6 hours after
waking up prior to hitting the gym in order to derive the same benefits.
That said, the issue of optimal workout timing is not perfectly cut and dry, as
there are several other factors to take into account here as well. For example,
although the body may be less physically primed for maximum performance in
the earlier morning hours, certain individuals may find that this is the time when
they feel the most psychologically primed to train at their best. The mind can
have a huge influence on the quality of your workouts, and if the morning time is
when you feel the most driven and motivated to hit the weights, that alone could
be enough to offset the less than ideal physical conditions and allow you to get in
just as good a session regardless.
In addition, the body will tend to adapt its circadian rhythm to the time of day
that you normally train. Begin consistently performing your workouts at, say,
10am, and your body will gradually start priming itself for physical exertion at
that specific time. This adaptation is not perfect (the earlier in the morning you
train, the less significant the effect will be), but it does come into play regardless.
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Research has also shown that if caffeine is consumed 20-30 minutes prior to a
morning workout, this alone can largely erase the physical drawbacks of those
earlier sessions and boost performance back up to evening levels. Around 150300mg would be a standard dose depending on your body weight and sensitivity
to stimulants, either in the form of regular coffee, a high quality pre-workout or
some other caffeine-containing beverage. It should be noted though that caffeine
tolerance will develop over time if consumed every day without cycling off, so this
is still something that needs to be used in moderation in order to derive the full
benefits.
Another factor to take into account is that of mental fatigue. The brain’s
willpower reserves are a limited resource and tend to deplete as the day goes on,
especially for those following a particularly busy and intensive daily schedule.
Because of this, it’s possible that a 6pm workout could still end up being a lower
quality session in comparison to a morning workout if you were feeling very
mentally tired once the evening hours rolled around from all of the previous work
you’d already completed that day.
Lastly, training too late in the day can potentially interfere with sleep in some
individuals due to the temporary increases in heart rate, core temperature,
cortisol and excitatory hormones (such as adrenaline and norepinephrine) that
result from intense exercise. So, even if an 8pm workout results in a better
session performance-wise, the benefits may be negated (at least in part) if that
later session negatively impacts recovery and mental focus leading into the next
day as a result of reducing your sleep quality.
As you can see, a case can be made for training at virtually any time of day once
all of the various factors are considered. In terms of practical guidelines, the
recommendation here would be fairly straightforward. First off, if you truly have
no preference on the matter and if it’s equally convenient for you to train at any
time during the day, go ahead and schedule your workout somewhere within that
“optimal” late afternoon to mid evening time frame. This is the time of day that
will be most likely to deliver the highest quality sessions for you assuming you
don’t live a highly stressful lifestyle that interferes with your strength and energy
levels in the gym as the day progresses.
On the other hand, if you definitely do prefer earlier morning workouts for
whatever reason, going out of your way to re-arrange your entire schedule to
accommodate a later session shouldn’t be considered a necessity. Your body will
adapt to those earlier workouts to a certain degree, a moderate dose of caffeine
can be used for an added boost, and if the morning time is when you feel the most
mentally motivated to train, that may be enough on its own to help you match the
quality of a late afternoon to evening workout anyway. In addition, if you truly
enjoy morning workouts (or if training later in the day really goes against your
preferences or schedule), sticking to those earlier sessions will likely improve
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your overall program adherence and increase the chances that you’ll stay
consistent with your weight training plan over the longer term.
The only situation where re-positioning your workout would be advised (despite
it being less convenient or less enjoyable for you) is if you’re someone who is
aiming to squeeze out every bit of muscle growth and strength gain from your
workouts possible, fitness is an absolute top priority for you, and you’re aware
that such a switch may only produce a minor increase in results in the overall
picture.
Now, what about workout duration? Is there an optimal length of time for an
effective weight training session from the time you begin your first set until you
complete your last one?
A common guideline you’ll hear is that your workouts should not exceed 60
minutes at the most, since the body will go “catabolic” beyond this point due to
increases in the muscle-wasting stress hormone cortisol. However, while it is true
that intense resistance training for long periods of time (around 2-3 hours or
more) does produce a spike in cortisol levels, these short term acute increases
don’t appear to have any measurable negative effect on body composition. If
you’re training with sufficient intensity and are centering your workouts around
basic heavy compound lifts, it usually won’t be possible for you to endure a 2-3+
hour workout anyway, nor is there any need to train for that long in the first
place.
Assuming you aren’t taking excessive rest periods in between sets and are moving
reasonably swiftly through your session, you’ll probably be looking at anywhere
from about 45-75 minutes to complete a standard hypertrophy workout,
excluding warmups. This is just an estimate though since the exact time frame
will vary depending on several factors such as which muscle groups are being
trained that day, how much total volume is being utilized, how you feel in terms
of strength and energy levels at that particular time, the amount of gym traffic
etc.
In any case, just make sure that you’re completing all of the necessary work
without getting distracted in between sets, and that you’re able to maintain a high
level of focus, strength and intensity all the way through from start to finish. As
long as you’re able to accomplish that, the exact time frame of your workouts isn’t
something that needs to be specifically tracked or treated as a practical concern
in terms of its effects on bottom line muscle growth or strength gains.
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DELOADING
While it might seem counterintuitive that taking breaks from training would
actually assist you in building more muscle and strength over the long term,
that’s exactly what regularly scheduled “deloads” can help you accomplish. A
deload is a one week period of rest that is taken from your normal workout plan
in order to give your central nervous system, joints and muscles a chance to fully
recover from the previous cycle of training.
Although conventional wisdom tells us that “the more work we put in, the better
results we’ll achieve”, this is only true up to a limited point when it comes to
building muscle and gaining strength. Intense resistance training is very stressful
to the body as a whole, and you can only go so hard for so long before those heavy
workouts begin taking their toll and eventually push you beyond your ability to
optimally recover.
A strategically placed deload phase will help to prevent sticking points in your
training and reduce the risk for injury by ensuring that you don’t overwork
yourself in the bigger picture. Not only will deloading give your muscles and
joints a chance to rest, but it will also provide psychological benefits by allowing
you to relax and re-charge mentally, helping to prevent burnout and keeping your
motivation levels steady over the longer term.
What’s the best way to go about incorporating deloads into your plan?
There are two main options you can choose from here, the first being to continue
with your regular training program as is but reduce the amount of weight lifted
on each exercise by 50%. Your training split, exercises, sets and reps will all
remain the same, but you’ll simply dial down the intensity level so that you’re
only lifting about half of your normal weight. This method provides a form of
“active recovery”, allowing you to remain in the gym and perform all of your
regular movements for the week but without putting significant stress on your
body.
The second option is to simply take time off from the gym altogether and give
yourself a complete rest from lifting. A bit of light cardio is fine to include (just as
it is with the first option as well), but all forms of weight training will be
discontinued until the deload phase has ended.
Either one of these options is ultimately acceptable and will serve the same basic
purpose, and you can simply choose the one you most prefer depending on
whether you’d rather stay lightly active during your deload or just take a complete
break from the gym to fully rest.
Regardless of which method you choose, a deload should ideally be implemented
once for every 6-12 weeks of consistent training and last for a period of one week.
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Whether you’ll be better off going with the lower or higher end of the range will
be influenced by several factors, including your calorie intake (those eating in a
surplus can typically get away with longer stretches of consistent training in
comparison to those in a deficit), experience level (the more advanced you
become, the more frequent your breaks should be due to the heavier weights
being lifted), age (those in the 40+ age category are usually best off incorporating
deloads more often since recovery ability declines as you get older), and general
lifestyle (those living a more stressful day to day life will likely benefit from more
frequent deloads).
All pre-set numbers aside though, simply listening to your body and paying
attention to your energy levels, motivation, joint health and overall rate of
progress will be the best way to determine when a deload week is in order.
As a final note, since you won’t have a weight training stimulus in place for
muscle growth during your deload phase and will be less active overall, those in a
bulking phase will be best off to lower their calories slightly during this period in
order to prevent excess fat gain. You can achieve this by simply removing your
regular calorie surplus from your daily intake. For example, if you’re currently
bulking on 3000 calories daily using a 300 calorie surplus, you’d drop down to
2700 calories during your deload.
Those in a cutting phase can either leave their intake at the same level (this
should still keep you in a net calorie deficit but will reduce its overall size since
you won’t be burning calories from weight training), or apply a slight increase of
200-300 calories per day to put you closer to your maintenance level if you’d
prefer to treat the deload period as a diet break.
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INJURY PREVENTION
If you truly want to build muscle, gain strength and transform your body
effectively, consistent hard training in the gym with a focus on progressive
overload is the only real way to get there. This will place your muscles under the
levels of stress needed to produce a significant hypertrophic response, and allow
for ongoing gains from month to month as a result of the continually increasing
workloads.
It's important to keep in mind, however, that those intense workouts don't just
stress your muscles alone; your joints, tendons, ligaments and connective tissues
also take on a good portion of the load as well. While this is simply the nature of
intense resistance training and can't be avoided completely, implementing the
proper cautionary steps can significantly minimize the resulting wear and tear
along with the chances of sustaining an unwanted injury.
This is one the most overlooked aspects of a proper fitness program and doesn't
get nearly the amount of attention it deserves. After all, your entire ability to
build muscle and gain strength hinges on the fact that your joints and connective
tissues are healthy enough to support the weights needed to do so. It doesn't
matter how strong your muscles are; if the underlying foundation is weak, you'll
be virtually guaranteed to run into problems eventually.
It may not seem like a big deal right now, but when you end up on the sidelines
with an injured lower back, shoulder, elbow, knee or whatever else, you'll very
quickly wish you had taken this area of your program more seriously. This is
especially true when you consider that some injuries can potentially throw your
program off track for several months, years, or even permanently in more
extreme cases.
It’s also important to remember that your goal here isn’t simply to be in the gym
for the next 6 months, 2 years, 5 years or even 10 – assuming you want to build a
standout physique and maintain it for the long haul, weight training is an activity
that you’ll be performing week in and week out for literally decades to come. It
may be hard to think that far down the road from where you are currently, but
just keep in mind that bodybuilding and fitness is a life long endeavor and that
how you train now will affect how well you’re able (or unable) to train over the
longer term.
What are some useful tips you can follow to maximize your muscle building and
strength gaining results while also minimizing your risk for injury throughout the
process?
Aside from incorporating regular deloads into your plan as we just covered, the
first step is to ensure that you always perform a properly structured warm up
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prior to your weight training sessions. For most average lifters out there, a preworkout “warmup” usually consists of nothing more than a few light reps before
their first main exercise, or even worse, they completely skip the warm up process
altogether and jump straight into the heavy weights immediately upon entering
the gym.
This can often end up having serious consequences in the long run, as a wellrounded warmup routine is one of the most effective ways to improve the
integrity of the joints and connective tissues during training and reduce the risk
of injury. Properly warming up will prepare both your mind and body for the
work ahead by raising core temperature, improving joint mobility, lubrication
and range of motion, and activating the muscles and central nervous system for
optimal strength, focus and performance.
There are many different ways that an effective warmup sequence can be
performed, with a combination of dynamic stretches, self-myofascial release
movements (such as foam rolling) and weight acclimation sets (light weight for
high reps, gradually increasing to heavier weight for low reps) providing a good
well-balanced approach. An effective warm up only requires about 10-15 minutes
to complete (you can find the exact recommended routines outlined in The Body
Transformation Workout System), but will go a long way in setting you up for
consistent, injury-free progress from month to month.
Once you've made your way into the actual workout itself, the next key injury
prevention step is to make sure that you're lifting with proper technique at all
times and aren't going excessively heavy on any of your exercises. This should go
without saying, but the bottom line is that if you're not able to lift the weight
through a full range of motion while using correct form throughout the entire set
(and without the assistance of a spotter), then the weight is too heavy for you and
needs to be lightened up, period.
Heaving around large amounts of weight using momentum and sloppy technique
will significantly increase the strain on your joints throughout the workout, and
although you may not run into noticeable problems in the short term, this way of
lifting will almost certainly take its toll eventually. If you're serious about building
a great physique and maintaining it for years to come, it's imperative that you
leave your ego at the door, learn the proper form for each exercise and then stick
only to weights that you can truly handle while maintaining complete control at
all times.
Aside from executing all of your sets using proper form, another important step
when it comes to minimizing injury risk is in moderating your overall training
intensity and keeping it within the appropriate limits. That means performing the
majority of sets no further than 1-2 reps short of concentric muscular failure, and
significantly limiting (if not entirely avoiding) the use of very high intensity
techniques such as forced reps, cheat reps or heavy negatives.
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While occasionally going all the way to failure or adding in an advanced lifting
technique from time to time won't be a problem if it's being done cautiously
(though this should only be implemented by more advanced trainees), doing so
on a frequent basis will place your joints at a much greater risk for eventual
injury. This is due not only to the sheer intensity level itself, but also from the
increased chances of a sudden form slip up as you attempt to squeeze out
additional reps while in a highly physically and mentally fatigued state. Training
hard and pushing your body close to its existing strength limits is no doubt a
critical aspect of optimally stimulating hypertrophy, but this can quickly backfire
if you don't know when to hit the brakes and are consistently pushing the
envelope too far.
Along with moderating your levels of training intensity, total training volume is
another factor to take into account when it comes to keeping your joints and
connective tissues healthy. Even if you are stopping the majority of sets 1-2 reps
short of failure, performing too many total weekly sets in general can still lead to
problems if you aren't careful. While every person will tolerate weight training a
bit differently depending on a variety of factors (such as genetics, experience
level, lifestyle, nutrition, sleep etc.), the guidelines given in the previous
volume/frequency section should not be exceeded in the majority of cases unless
it's being done for a very specific reason, such as for a temporary “overreaching”
cycle carried out by a more advanced trainee or for a specialization phase to bring
up a lagging body part.
This means directly targeting each muscle group between 1.5-3 times per week
over the course of 3-5 weight training workouts, utilizing 60-100 total weekly
reps for large muscle groups and 30-60 reps for small muscle groups. There will
rarely be a need to go beyond these figures for the purposes of building muscle
and gaining strength, and doing so under the misguided notion that “more is
better” will often be directly counterproductive both for hypertrophy and overall
joint health.
Also keep in mind that regulating your total training volume applies not only to
weightlifting, but to cardio exercises as well. While low impact choices like
walking, cycling or swimming shouldn't be a cause for concern even at higher
frequencies, high intensity methods such as sprinting, plyometrics, heavy bag
hitting etc. place the joints under greater levels of stress and should be more
carefully moderated for that treason.
In terms of actual workout structure, another often overlooked injury prevention
guideline is to ensure that your overall selection of exercises is properly balanced
and that every muscle group is being trained with equal focus and intensity
throughout the week. If one set of movement patterns is consistently overemphasized at the expense of others, various joint and muscular systems can end
up being pushed out of their optimal position and firing patterns.
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Placing more focus on chest presses in comparison to rows (leading to possible
shoulder instability), neglecting posterior chain exercises in favor of more quaddominant movements (a common cause of knee problems), or training the
abdominals without any lower back work to match (setting the lumbar area up
for potential issues) are all very common examples of this. As a general rule, each
movement pattern that you include in your training plan should be balanced out
with an equal amount of its opposing movement pattern. For example, horizontal
presses/horizontal pulls, vertical presses/vertical pulls, compound quad
movements/compound hamstring movements etc.
Maintaining a well balanced joint and muscular system is not only a product of
what you do in the gym, but is also heavily influenced by your day to day habits
outside of it as well, in particular your resting posture. This has become an
especially important issue in the modern era, where people commonly spend
multiple hours every day working in a seated, hunched over position on their
computers and laptops, further exacerbated by the usage of smartphones and
other electronic devices. This can quickly lead to a whole host of imbalances
throughout the body, all the way from the neck right down to the ankles and feet.
Remember that the entire musculoskeletal system is interconnected, and when
dysfunction develops in one area, it usually has a cascading effect throughout the
rest of the system.
All of the details surrounding proper posture (as well as how to treat various
issues that may develop as a result of poor posture) are beyond the scope of this
manual, but just keep in mind that how you move (or don't move) your body
throughout the day has a significant contributing effect on the health of your
joints, connective tissues and how efficiently your body functions during training.
Being mindful of your daily posture and movement patterns, limiting how much
time you spend sitting (along with taking regular breaks while working), and
incorporating certain rehabilitative techniques such as self myofascial release
(foam rolling, massage etc.), muscle activation exercises (for areas that are
commonly inhibited like the glutes, core and mid-back muscles), and stretches
can all be helpful injury prevention strategies in addition to all of the previously
mentioned points.
If you do find that you've run into issues with joint pain despite following all of
the tips in this section closely, keep in mind that this is certainly not an
uncommon occurrence and doesn't necessarily mean you've done anything
blatantly “wrong” with your training. While taking the proper precautions will no
doubt reduce the chances of this happening, the reality is that most lifters out
there will still experience some form of injury (even if it's just a minor one) at
some point throughout their training career. This generally just comes with the
territory for anyone who is consistently pushing their body in the gym and is
looking to take their physique and strength development to significantly above
average levels.
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If the pain is fairly minor and is only happening during a particular exercise, the
first thing to do is experiment with different variations of that movement to see if
you can find one that is more comfortable. That could mean switching from a
barbell press to a dumbbell press, barbell squat to a dumbbell split squat, pullup
to a pulldown, or freeweight curl to a cable curl just to give a few examples of
many. No single exercise is a “must” for building muscle, and if you can find a
comparable variation that still trains the targeted area effectively but without the
added joint discomfort, you can switch to that movement for a temporary period
while you work on treating the injury separately. In addition to making exercise
substitutions, you can also try switching to lighter weights, higher reps and a
slower, more controlled lifting cadence to further reduce the load on your joints.
In more serious cases where the pain is quite significant regardless of which
exercise variation or rep scheme you choose, taking some time off from training
the injured area altogether (or from the gym in general depending on how severe
the injury is) will be your best bet in order to get the issue properly assessed and
treated. Continuing to push yourself in these situations will almost always make
things worse and can have potentially serious long term consequences depending
on what type of injury you're dealing with.
Remember that building a great physique is all about what you do in the big
picture, and taking a short break to allow yourself to heal is a much smarter
option than ignoring the obvious signs and possibly setting yourself up for
recurring problems down the road. You're only as strong as your weakest link,
and failing to properly care for an injury can often have a reverberating effect
throughout your entire training program, especially when dealing with joint
systems that are heavily involved in most major exercises like the shoulders or
lower back. So, while minor aches and pains can sometimes be worked through
as long as you're careful and are taking active steps to fix the root issue,
significant joint discomfort should be taken much more seriously and treated by a
professional before you return to the gym.
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TRAINING LAYOFFS
In the event that you do need to take a temporary break from your workout plan,
what should you realistically expect in terms of potential muscle size and strength
regression, and how long will it take to recoup any losses you might experience?
Aside from sustaining an injury, a layoff could also be the result of an illness,
family issue, particularly hectic work or school schedule, or a period of travel
where training either isn't possible or where you've simply decided to put your
workouts on hold for the time being. While it might feel as though all of your
hard earned progress is about to rapidly waste away the minute your break
begins, fortunately this is not how things work in the real world. Dedicated lifters
who take their fitness program seriously often feel quite stressed out by the idea
of missing a week or two (or more) of training, but in most cases it won't be
nearly as counterproductive as you might imagine.
The exact time frame will vary from person to person depending on a variety of
factors, but assuming your nutrition is adequate (meaning you’re eating roughly
around maintenance calories and are consuming sufficient protein), losses in
lean muscle mass generally won't kick in until about two full weeks of inactivity.
Even then, the process will be fairy slow and gradual from week to week
thereafter.
For that reason, if all you’ll be doing is taking a short 1-2 week break from the
gym, it’s best to think of this as simply being a “pause” in your program rather
than as something that will be directly counterproductive to your physique. Even
after a full 3-4 weeks off without any training at all, the vast majority of your
gains will still be left in tact aside from perhaps a very minor amount of muscle
and strength loss.
One thing you likely will notice, however, is that your muscles won’t look quite as
full or defined in the mirror as your layoff progresses beyond the one week mark.
Your physique will probably appear a bit smoother and “flatter” looking, and this
may create the impression that you’ve suddenly lost a large amount of muscle
within a very short period. However, in the case of a relatively short training
layoff lasting no more than a few weeks, this will not be the result of any
significant losses in lean muscle mass but will instead be due to other
contributing factors, such as decreased fluid retention in the muscle cells,
reduced glycogen storage and lowered levels of inflammation.
The psychological side of things can definitely come into play here as well, as it’s
very easy to skew your own perception of your body based on your beliefs. If you
simply feel in your mind that you’ve become weaker and more out of shape as a
result of your training layoff, chances are that that’s exactly what you’ll see when
you look in the mirror even if the actual objective difference is only very modest.
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Fortunately, all of the effects described above - both the gradual muscle and
strength loss that will begin to occur after about two weeks of rest along with the
temporary decrease in visible muscle fullness that may result - will all be regained
at an accelerated pace upon returning to the gym thanks to the effects of “muscle
memory”.
Unlike the majority of cells in the body that contain only a single nucleus, muscle
cells consist of many nuclei known as “myonuclei”. When you train with
resistance in the gym, new nuclei are added to the muscle cells, with smaller
“satellite cells” accumulating around them to allow the muscle to grow larger over
time. The number of nuclei within a muscle is one of the main factors that
regulates its size – the more nuclei there are, the more potential there is for
hypertrophy.
The key to muscle memory is the fact that once those myonuclei are created, they
remain within the cell for a very long period of time afterwards even if no weight
training is being performed. Exactly how long is not known, but some research
suggests that they may stick around for as long as 4-5 years, and potentially even
for life to a certain degree. When you’re forced to take a layoff from the gym, the
satellite cells slowly atrophy, but the nuclei remain. This is why you’ll always
regain muscle at a much faster rate the next time around, as the smaller satellite
cells will be rebuilt relatively quickly once you resume training.
The bottom line on all of this is that, if you're serious about your fitness program
and are committed to it for the long haul, training layoffs should simply be
viewed as an inevitable part of the process and something that every lifter will
have to go through during certain periods. If your training and nutrition habits
are otherwise on point most of the time in the bigger picture, taking a few weeks
off here and there will only make a very small temporary dent in your size and
strength levels (assuming they make any dent at all), and whatever minor losses
you do incur will be regained significantly faster than it took to originally build
them.
If you have taken more than a 1-2 week period off from training though, it's
important that you settle back into things mindfully rather than just trying to
pick up in the gym exactly where you left off. Even if you didn't lose any actual
lean muscle during your break, it's still possible that your strength levels will have
gone down slightly as a result of decreased neural efficiency due to the period of
inactivity.
There’s no way to know exactly where your strength levels will be when you first
return to the gym since it will vary depending on exactly how long your break was
and what your nutrition, sleep and lifestyle were like during that time, so you’ll
just need to go by feel and use your best judgement. If in doubt, always err on the
side of caution and go a bit lighter on your lifts rather than heavier, since even if
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you do select a weight that is a bit too light, you can simply increase the rep range
to compensate.
This is especially important if your layoff was due to an injury of some kind, in
which case you’ll want to be extra cautious to ensure that you’ve properly healed
and to re-acclimate yourself to progressively heavier training. Don't make the
common mistake of trying to rush things in order to get right back to your
previous strength levels over night, as this will only increase the chances that
you'll end up right back on the sidelines.
In any case, once you’ve established your starting numbers, just aim for standard
progressive overload from that point forward as you normally would, be patient,
and you'll be right back to peak condition in no time and ready for further
progress.
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PROPER SLEEP
Getting a sufficient amount of deep, restful sleep on a consistent basis is a far
more important factor when it comes to maximizing muscle growth, fat loss and
overall health than most people realize. Although the subject of proper sleep is
technically not a “weight training” topic in and of itself, there is a direct
relationship between the two due to the key role that sleep plays in optimizing
workout recovery and performance.
Not only will getting an adequate rest each night help you operate at your very
best both in and out of the gym by maximizing energy levels, strength, mood and
concentration, but it will also directly increase the output of several key muscle
building and fat burning hormones including testosterone, growth hormone and
IGF-1, all of which play a critical role in optimizing body composition.
Maintaining proper sleeping habits also improves the efficiency at which your
body utilizes fat for energy through a reduction in RER (respiratory exchange
rate), and lowers levels of the fat storing stress hormone cortisol.
These are just a few of the many benefits that a proper nightly sleep has to offer,
and if you find that you have a tough time falling asleep (or that you don’t sleep
deeply or for extended periods without waking up), you may end up in a pattern
of chronic sleep deprivation that delivers the opposite of these effects.
How much sleep should you ideally be getting each night?
Since the optimal amount of sleep can vary from person to person depending on a
variety of factors such as genetics, lifestyle, activity levels, stress etc., the simple
answer is to just aim for whatever amount of sleep you personally require in
order to feel fully rested and energized throughout the day without any noticeable
excess fatigue. Somewhere between 7-9 hours per night will be appropriate for
most people, though a smaller percentage of individuals may be able to operate
fine on less than this or may even require slightly more.
Just make sure to listen to your body, and if it’s obvious that you’re lacking in
energy, mental focus and are feeling generally under-rested throughout the day,
improving your sleeping habits should be treated as a top priority. This is will
provide significant benefits not only for your muscle building and fat burning
program, but in virtually all other areas of your life as well.
It should also be noted that the total number of hours you sleep per night is just
the first half of the equation – your actual sleep quality is another key factor to
take into account as well and will heavily influence just how much benefit you
obtain from each night of rest. If you’re not falling into a deep enough sleep or are
waking up frequently during the night, you won’t properly pass through the
various sleep cycles and may still end up excessively fatigued even if you are
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sleeping for a full 8 hours or more. Fortunately, there are quite a few steps you
can take to help you sleep more deeply and for longer periods of time in order to
get the very best rest possible.
Aside from the obvious step of performing regular weight training and cardio
exercise throughout the week (something you’ll already be doing by default and
that will go a long way in improving your overall sleep quality), the first
recommendation would be to maintain a consistent sleeping and waking schedule
from day to day. Waking up and going to bed at the same time helps to regulate
your body’s internal clock and cues it to “expect” sleep at a certain time each
night. Although this won’t be possible for some people due to varying hours for
things like work or school, just do your best to set a schedule and stick to it as
closely as you can, even on the weekends.
The second step is to associate your bed with two things only: sleep and sex. If
you have some late night work to finish or need to tackle some other type of
“mind stimulating” activity, work on it at a desk, table, on the couch or anywhere
else you can. Don’t, however, merge your sleeping space and working space into
the same area. Whenever you crawl into bed, you want your body to associate
that environment with rest, relaxation and pleasure rather than stress and
problem-solving.
In order to increase your natural production of melatonin (a key hormone
involved in regulating sleep), you’ll also want to cut off all electronics about 3060 minutes before nodding off. Melatonin levels increase when it gets dark and
signal the body that it’s time for sleep, allowing you to nod off more easily and
stay asleep for longer. Instead of watching TV, surfing the web or texting before
bed like most people do, spend that 30-60 minute block doing some light
reading, listening to an audiobook or using a relaxation technique such as
meditation. If you insist on using electronics right up near your bed time, at least
make sure to dim your screens and use an app that reduces the amount of blue
light that is emitted from your devices.
The next tip for a better nightly rest is to avoid going to sleep too full or too
hungry. As a general rule, consuming a very large meal right before bed will
typically make it harder to fall asleep, as will trying to nod off on a completely
empty stomach. Not only will a small to medium sized meal within 2-3 hours of
going to bed allow you to sleep more comfortably, but the accompanying insulin
release will also improve melatonin production as well.
Another useful guideline to create the very best sleeping conditions possible is to
keep your room cool, dark and quiet. Maintain a room temperature of around 6067 degrees, use blackout curtains or a sleeping mask to eliminate as much light as
you possibly can, and get rid of sudden background noises by using ear plugs or
droning them out with a fan, humidifier or some other type of “white noise”
machine.
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Lastly, steering clear of caffeine and other stimulants within 6-8 hours of sleep is
another important step to help your body wind down for a proper rest. Keep in
mind that even if you do happen to fall asleep just fine after an evening cup of
coffee or pre-workout drink, the caffeine and other stimulant compounds they
contain can still decrease your actual sleep quality. Because of this, you should try
to limit your last stimulant containing beverage or supplement to the late
afternoon hours.
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181
INTRODUCTION
Whether your primary goal is to bulk up and gain overall size or lean down and
lose body fat, weight training should always be treated as the number one priority
in your workout program by far. Weight training is responsible for the growth
and maintenance of lean muscle mass, and when combined with a proper diet, is
theoretically the only form of exercise you truly “need” in order to achieve a lean
and muscular physique. If you’re executing your workouts according to the
guidelines covered in the previous chapter and are moderating your calorie intake
to create a proper deficit or surplus, cardio itself is technically not mandatory for
losing body fat or minimizing fat gains during a bulk.
However, just because cardio isn’t an absolute “must” doesn’t mean that it has no
use at all or should be avoided, and most trainees will still be best off to include at
least a bit of extra cardio throughout the week both for its supplemental fat
burning effects and additional physical and mental health benefits.
In this section we’ll be covering everything you need to know when it comes to
incorporating cardiovascular exercise into your program in a way that is effective,
time-efficient and as sustainable as possible over the long term. We’ll discuss the
potential benefits and drawbacks of including too much or too little cardio in
your plan, along with concrete guidelines for proper cardio frequency, timing,
intensity, duration and exercise selection.
By the end of this chapter you’ll have all the pieces in place for your complete
workout program and will know exactly how to combine your weight training and
cardio together for the very best results.
Let’s start off by discussing the specific benefits that cardio has to offer as well as
the potential downsides of performing excessive amounts.
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CARDIO PROS AND CONS
While there’s no doubt about the critical importance of proper nutrition when it
comes to dropping body fat and staying lean, how exactly does cardio fit into the
fat loss equation and just how important is it for this purpose?
Although it is recommended that most people include a few cardio sessions
throughout the week as part of a well balanced training program, the truth is that
cardio as a whole generally is overrated from a pure fat burning perspective. This
is certainly not to say that it’s ineffective in this area, but many trainees
(particularly those who are in a cutting phase) end up getting carried away with
their total cardio volume for the week and place too much emphasis on it as a fat
loss tool.
Contrary to what you might think, your body is not
expending thousands of calories and rapidly
melting off inches of body fat as you run on the
treadmill or peddle on the stationary bike during a
standard cardio session. Several factors do come
into play that will affect the bottom line total (such
as lean body mass levels, intensity, duration etc.),
but most regular cardio workouts don’t actually
burn a huge number of calories in the bigger
picture when it all comes down to it.
For example, if you were to follow a typical training approach by performing
three cardio sessions per week at a realistic amount of 400 calories burned per
session, that averages out to about 170 calories per day. This certainly does have a
contributing effect on your overall weekly rate of fat loss, but when you compare
that amount to many common food items found in a typical daily diet, you’ll see
that 170 calories is actually not an overly significant amount.
Just to give an idea, a large banana contains about 120 calories, a four ounce
chicken breast is around 185 calories, and two tablespoons of peanut butter
provides 200 calories. A pound of stored body fat measures in at roughly 3500
calories, meaning you’d need to perform somewhere between 7-10 standard
cardio sessions just to burn off that one single pound.
Since fat loss ultimately comes down to maintaining a net calorie deficit by
burning more calories than you consume, simply moderating your calorie intake
is usually a much more efficient way of achieving this. After all, it requires a
significantly larger time and energy investment to climb a stairstepper for 40
minutes or endure 8 rounds of high intensity sprints on a treadmill in
comparison to just reducing the portion size of a couple food items in your diet.
As long as your total food intake is remaining at a healthy level and your calories
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aren’t dropping excessively low, it makes no real difference from a fat loss
standpoint whether you burn more calories through exercise or consume fewer
calories through your diet. The final net result will still be the same at the end of
the day.
You could bump up your calorie expenditure further by raising the frequency,
intensity and/or duration of your cardio workouts to increase their net fat
burning impact, but since the benefits of cardio operate on a bell curve (to where
performing too much beyond a certain point becomes counterproductive), you’ll
usually start running into problems if you try to do this. Regardless of how
motivated you might be to achieve that lean and defined physique you’re after,
there are a few reasons why trying to speed up the process with very large
volumes of weekly cardio is probably not the best idea.
The first reason is that excessive amounts of cardio can interfere with weight
training recovery and performance. Every cardio session you perform is another
stressor that you’re introducing to your body in terms of muscle damage, joint
impact and CNS fatigue, and you can only perform so much in addition to your
weight training plan before the total workload becomes too high.
Low intensity forms of cardio (such as walking or light cycling) won’t pose much
of a problem in terms of recovery interference in comparison to higher intensity
variations (in fact, they may actually improve recovery when performed in
moderation), but the downside is that it requires a much longer duration of low
intensity cardio to burn a significant number of calories. As you increase the
intensity level in order to expend calories more efficiently, the total stress will
start to add up very quickly throughout the week, especially if you’re performing
very demanding HIIT (high intensity interval training) sessions.
In addition, high amounts of lower intensity/longer duration cardio can end up
having a competing effect with the size and strength adaptations that are
produced as a result of weight training. When performing aerobic cardio, you’re
essentially training the body to generate minimal force over a prolonged period of
time, whereas with weight training, the goal is to do the exact opposite by
generating maximum force over a very short time frame. Those in a bulking
phase may experience a slowdown in their overall size and strength gains as a
result of this, while those in a cutting phase will become more prone to muscle
loss.
The second drawback of performing very high amounts of cardio is the strong
spike in hunger levels that many trainees often experience. Even though cardio
does burn calories on its own, it also stimulates the body to seek out additional
calories to replace what was lost by making certain hormonal adjustments that
raise appetite and cravings.
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Doing cardio five or more times per week like so many people in the gym often do
can very quickly lead to a large increase in hunger that may make it even more
difficult to maintain a calorie deficit in comparison to performing less total
activity. This is not necessarily true for every single person (some do just fine by
creating a larger percentage of their deficit through exercise) but it is a very
common scenario nonetheless.
Many people fall into the trap of thinking that since they completed their daily
cardio for the week, all they have to do now is “eat healthy” and the fat loss will
take care of itself. However, if you simply replace what you burned during your
cardio sessions by over-eating in the hours and days that follow (remember that
“healthy calories” are still calories nonetheless), your total calorie deficit will be
significantly reduced or even erased altogether.
Since most people don’t truly monitor their calorie intake with a high degree of
accuracy (even though they may think they do), this is very often exactly what
ends up happening. They burn an average of 400 extra calories per day through
their high frequency cardio plan, unconsciously make a few minor dietary choices
that replace those same 400 calories, and end up right back at square one as a
result. In more extreme cases, some people may actually end up gaining weight
despite performing large amounts of cardio throughout the week due to their
significantly increased levels of hunger.
The third downside to performing those marathon cardio sessions multiple days
a week is the simple time and energy investment involved. You only have a
limited amount of physical and mental resources available that you can utilize
throughout any given day and week, and chances are that fitness (hopefully) isn’t
your whole life. You probably have work or school on your plate to some degree, a
social life, and other interests outside of the gym as well.
Detracting from those other areas of your life with endless stair stepping and
treadmill running is obviously not going to be a wise usage of your time and effort
if you don’t even really need to be doing it in the first place. Furthermore, if
cardio is something you really don’t enjoy and if it requires considerable
discipline and willpower for you to complete, forcing yourself to perform it on a
highly frequent basis will also increase the chances that you’ll eventually burn out
and fall off track with your fat loss program over the long term.
While the three downsides outlined above might paint a seemingly negative
picture when it comes to cardiovascular exercise, it’s important to note that these
points apply only to those who are making the common mistake of performing
too much. Just as an excessive amount of weight training can become
counterproductive beyond a certain point, cardio works in exactly the same way.
However, as long as the overall volume and frequency is kept within the
appropriate limits, performing a moderate amount of cardio throughout the week
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can actually be quite beneficial and produce a variety of positive effects that
shouldn’t be overlooked.
The first obvious benefit of cardio and the one that most people aiming to
improve their body composition primarily use it for is as a basic calorie burning
tool. While it is possible to create your entire calorie deficit through dieting alone,
utilizing a combination of both decreased food intake and increased physical
activity is usually the superior approach for most people. The bulk of the deficit is
typically best created by moderating calorie intake first and foremost (since this
is the easiest variable to control and since performing too much cardiovascular
exercise is often counterproductive as we just discussed), with some additional
“supplemental calories” being burned through cardio.
This becomes increasingly important toward the end of a cutting phase when
you’re attempting to lose that last bit of stubborn fat, as dieting alone may not be
sufficient to get down to the lower end of the body fat spectrum if that’s what
you’re aiming for. In addition, you can only drop your food intake so low before
you’re no longer able to fully meet your daily nutritional needs for optimal health
and performance, in which case creating the rest of your deficit through exercise
will be necessary to reach that final level of leanness.
If your primary goal is to bulk rather than cut, cardio can be used to help
moderate the size of your calorie surplus and keep it within the proper limits if
you do tend to slightly overshoot your daily calorie target as a result of overeating. If accurately hitting your required calorie intake without going overboard
is not an issue for you (or if you even find it challenging to consume enough food
throughout the day to reach it), you can simply stay on the low end of the
recommended cardio frequency we’ll be outlining and utilize cardio for its other
benefits aside from burning calories.
On that note, the first upside to performing regular cardiovascular exercise
beyond just maintaining a lean physique is to improve your overall metabolic
conditioning. Muscle building and fat loss goals aside, let’s also not forget about
the value of simply maintaining sound cardiovascular health in general.
Typical muscle building style workouts that utilize low to moderate rep ranges
and longer rest periods in between sets don’t provide a lot in the way of effective
cardiovascular work, and regular cardio exercise is a great way to make up for
this and round out your complete training plan. Along with improving basic
health and longevity, increasing your metabolic conditioning also provides a few
other practical benefits both for your fitness program and day to day life.
First, it can assist you in the gym on larger compound exercises when they’re
taken into slightly higher rep ranges (since the cardiovascular system comes
more into play on these types of sets), as well as helping you recover faster in
between sets.
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Secondly, maintaining reasonable conditioning during a muscle building phase
will smoothen out the transition from bulking to cutting when cardio naturally
becomes a more important part of your training program. Perform little to no
cardio during your bulk and the process will become quite a bit tougher as you’re
forced to rebuild your cardiovascular strength back up from scratch.
Thirdly, your levels of cardiovascular endurance will have direct carry over to
other physical activities you might perform outside the gym such as sports or
outdoor hobbies, as well as basic day to day tasks such as climbing stairs, faster
paced walking, or jogging/running. Looking great is one thing, but having a body
that is healthy and functional in the real world is obviously important too.
Another often overlooked benefit of adding in some weekly cardio to your plan is
that the lower intensity variations can improve muscle recovery and decrease
soreness in between workouts. By gentling increasing blood flow to the muscles,
some light cardio performed the day or two after a weight training session can
help to remove metabolic waste products and optimize the recuperation process.
For example, you could include some light cycling or stair stepping for your legs,
or rowing or swimming for your upper body.
In addition to everything mentioned so far, performing cardio on a regular basis
can also have a positive effect on improving sleep quality. Weight training has
beneficial effects on sleep as well, but if you live a relatively sedentary lifestyle
aside from three or four hypertrophy-based workouts per week, you’re likely still
not getting in enough total exercise to fully optimize your sleeping patterns. As
we covered in the previous chapter, maximizing sleep quality has positive
implications both for training performance and recovery as well as boosting
energy levels and focus in regular everyday life.
Aside from improving focus as a result of a better night’s sleep, cardio has also
been shown to boost overall brain health and cognitive function in general, both
in the short term directly after a cardio session and in the long term as well. One
of the key ways cardio does this is by raising levels of “brain-derived neurotrophic
factor” (BDNF), which is a protein vital for the growth of neurons.
On the subject of cognitive health, plenty of research has also demonstrated
significant reductions in anxiety and depression levels as a result of consistent
cardio exercise in those who are prone to these ailments. Cardio assists in these
areas by regulating serotonin and norepinephrine levels, two key “feel good”
neurotransmitters in the brain. Some studies have shown that aerobic exercise
can be just as effective as medication for treating mild to moderate depression in
some cases.
In fact, cardio can essentially decrease the risk of almost every major modern
disease known to man. This is true of exercise in general, but in combination with
weight training, including some extra cardio during the week can further reduce
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the chances of a wide variety of health problems including heart disease,
osteoporosis, diabetes, asthma, cognitive diseases like Parkinson’s and
Alzheimer’s, and even various forms of cancer. The human body evolved to move,
and remaining stationary for extended periods of time (especially in a seated
position like so many of us do nowadays) is just not natural to our physiology.
So, what’s the bottom line on the role of cardio as part of your overall training
program?
Neither the hardcore daily cardio enthusiasts nor the “anti-cardio” camp have it
quite right if the goal is to optimize body composition as well as general physical
and mental health. Performing very large volumes of cardio will not be the best
approach for most people for the reasons we discussed above, and excluding
cardio completely is also not recommended due to the wide variety of health and
fitness benefits it can provide. As with most things, a healthy middle ground
approach will typically be best in the majority of cases.
Exactly how much cardio should you do (and when) to obtain all of the positive
effects that cardio has to offer but without going unnecessarily overboard and
potentially detracting from your muscle building and fat burning results?
Let’s get into some practical guidelines by discussing proper cardio frequency and
timing.
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FREQUENCY & TIMING
The first thing to keep in mind on the issue of optimal cardio frequency is that
there is no single “one size fits all” answer that will apply to every single person
across the board. The ideal number of cardio sessions to perform per week will
be influenced by your individual health and fitness goals, weight training
volume/frequency, lifestyle outside the gym, genetics and more.
As an overall guideline that will work well for most average trainees in most
situations though, 2-3 cardio sessions per week would be a safe and reliable
figure to start out with, optionally increasing the frequency later on if you’re
deeper into a cutting phase and your rate of fat loss has stalled. This amount will
provide the supplemental calorie burning and physical/mental health benefits
that cardio has to offer, but without negatively impacting muscle growth,
significantly raising appetite, or requiring a huge time and energy investment on
your part.
When laying out your cardio sessions for the week, make sure to take into
account any other physically demanding activities you might be performing as
well, such as an active job, sports, martial arts, outdoor activities etc. As we’ll
discuss in the exercise selection portion of this chapter later on, any activity that
gets your heart rate elevated and requires sustained physical exertion will
ultimately burn calories and improve cardiovascular conditioning, and should
thus be counted towards your overall cardio total.
For example, someone who plays soccer twice a week, goes hiking regularly or
takes kickboxing classes on an ongoing basis would not be required to then
perform an additional three sessions of “gym cardio” on top of that. Each of those
activities would be counted as its own cardio workout in the same way that
running on the treadmill or riding a stationary bike would (assuming the
duration and intensity level is comparable), otherwise you may end up
performing an excessive amount of total cardio for the week without realizing it.
When should these cardio sessions be performed for the best results?
Ideally, the basic goal should be to space your cardio out during the week so that
it has minimal interference with your weight training performance and recovery.
Resistance training should always take precedence over cardio in any program
where the goal is to optimize body composition, and you should always strive to
enter each workout with 100% of your physical strength and mental focus still
intact.
This is why pre-workout cardio in particular is best avoided. Performing cardio
immediately before hitting the weights will pre-fatigue your muscles and central
nervous system, resulting in less energy leftover to divert to your weight training
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workout. Blood acidity levels will rise (particularly if performing a higher
intensity form of cardio), increasing hydrogen ion circulation and further
lowering the total amount of force production your muscles can generate. The
combination of these factors may also raise your chances for injury due to
compromised form and technique as a result of the increased physical and mental
fatigue.
Cardio also produces an increase in the enzyme AMPK (responsible for
stimulating fat breakdown) which interferes with mTOR signalling (a central
trigger of muscle hypertrophy), creating a potential “interference effect” that
negatively impacts overall muscle growth from the workout.
Performing a light 5-10 minute pre-workout cardio warmup shouldn’t pose any
issues, but full duration sessions should be moved to another time of day,
especially in the case of HIIT cardio due to its highly demanding nature.
If you do want to combine weight training and cardio into a single workout for
the sake of efficiency, always make sure to perform your cardio post-workout
rather than pre-workout so that your weight training performance remains
unaffected. This would still not be considered 100% optimal due to the possible
interference effect just mentioned (not to mention that your actual cardio
performance may be hindered if done immediately after a full weight training
workout), but the impact would likely be minimal in the bigger picture for most
average trainees.
One other potential drawback of combining weight training and cardio together is
that the total length per session may end up dragging on for an excessively long
period of time. For example, when taking into account travel time to and from the
gym in addition to your pre-workout warmup, a full weight training session
followed by a longer duration cardio session could potentially require up to 2-3
hours to fully complete. For that reason, if you are going to perform your cardio
post workout, moderate to higher intensity sessions done over a shorter period
are generally the better choice in order to keep things within a more reasonable
time frame.
Aside from performing cardio after weights, the other option (and the ideal one
from a pure muscle building and fat burning standpoint) is to separate the two
completely by a period of at least six hours or more. This could mean doing your
cardio in the morning and weights in the evening, weights in the morning and
cardio in the evening, or putting them on different days altogether.
Again though, just keep in mind that the difference between spacing your weight
training and cardio further apart like this versus performing your cardio post
workout will likely be fairly small in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, this
guideline should only be treated as a practical concern for the most serious
trainees out there who are looking to achieve every ounce of muscle growth
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possible, and who are aware that it may only produce a minor increase in bottom
line results at best. In all other cases, just make the decision based on personal
preference and what fits most conveniently with your schedule.
Lastly, it should be noted that the 2-3 cardio session per week guideline outlined
in this section assumes that your goal is to put on muscle and gain strength either
right at or very close to your maximum potential. If you aren’t necessarily trying
to become as muscular as possible and are instead aiming to achieve a leaner and
more athletic appearance - or if you’re performing cardio simply because you
enjoy it or have practical use for it (such as improving conditioning for a sport) then the amount of cardio you perform is ultimately up to you and doesn’t
necessarily have to be limited to three times per week.
For example, if you’d prefer to do some form of cardio every single day with the
understanding that it probably will negatively impact your muscle gains to a
certain degree, that’s of course up to you and just depends on your own personal
health and fitness goals.
On that same note, performing no traditional cardio at all and just sticking with
weight training as your sole form of exercise is also an option if you truly aren’t
concerned with the physical and mental health benefits that cardio has to offer.
Cardiovascular exercise is not mandatory when it comes purely to fat loss, and a
well structured weight training plan in combination with proper diet can still get
the job done assuming you aren’t trying to reach very low levels of body fat. You’ll
need to drop your calorie intake a bit lower in order to obtain the same net result
if you choose to go this route, but calories in versus calories out is still the
primary factor at play when it all boils down to it and this technically can be
achieved through dieting alone.
It’s highly recommended that you include at least some cardio throughout the
week as part of a balanced lifestyle (and we outlined a wide variety of good
supporting reasons for this in the previous section), but every individual is
different and can make that choice for themselves depending on their own
personal situation and preferences.
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DURATION/INTENSITY
We’ve now gone over all of the potential benefits and drawbacks associated with
performing varying amounts of cardio and have established a recommended
frequency of 2-3 sessions per week, either done post-workout, or for fully optimal
results, spaced at least six hours away from weight training.
When it comes to the actual execution of these cardio sessions, what is the ideal
duration and intensity level they should be performed at for maximum benefit?
First off, it’s important to understand that the variables of cardio intensity and
duration are inversely proportional and go hand in hand. The higher the intensity
level is, the less total duration you’ll require in order to burn an appreciable
number of calories, whereas the lower the intensity level is, the more time you’ll
need to invest to generate the same net effect.
This usually leads to the very common debate between the effectiveness of HIIT
cardio (high intensity interval training) versus LISS cardio (low intensity steady
state). For many years it was widely recommended that cardio always be
performed in an aerobic state (where oxygen supply meets oxygen demand),
since fat becomes the body’s preferred source of energy when exercising at a
lower intensity pace. This is where the standard “fat burning zone” guidelines
originated from, where it’s often advised that you remain at around 60-70% of
your maximum heart rate to optimize fat loss.
As the intensity level increases and lactic acid levels rise in the body, less fat is
burned and more carbohydrates are utilized instead. Since HIIT cardio is much
more glycolytic in comparison to LISS cardio, it would seem to follow that those
traditional 45 minute low intensity sessions would be the most effective way to
burn fat.
However, while it is true that LISS cardio burns a greater percentage of body fat
during the actual session, HIIT cardio compensates for this by causing the body
to expend additional calories for several hours even after the workout is over. Due
to its much more demanding nature, high intensity cardio creates an oxygen
deficit within the body (known as “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption”, or
EPOC for short), forcing it to continue expending energy even while at rest later
on in order to correct the deficit.
In other words, low intensity cardio burns more fat in the short term but minimal
fat in the hours that follow, whereas high intensity cardio does the opposite. This
is why you shouldn’t put too much stock in the “calories burned” reading on your
cardio machine, as it’s only a rough approximation and doesn’t tell the whole
story in terms of the total calories that are utilized as a result of EPOC.
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When comparing the overall net effect between these two types of cardio, the
bottom line fat burning impact appears to be quite similar, with most studies
showing that high intensity cardio is slightly superior in terms of total calories
expended as a whole.
Aside from the modest increase in calorie burning,
the one other obvious benefit of HIIT cardio is the
significantly greater time efficiency involved. While a
standard low intensity cardio session may require
around 40-45 minutes or more of your time to
complete, high intensity sessions can last anywhere
from 15 minutes all the way down to as little as 5
minutes depending on how they’re structured. If you
want to get the greatest overall bang for your buck in
the shortest time (especially if you lead an otherwise busy lifestyle), HIIT cardio
is a great choice for this and can also be easily tagged onto the end of a weight
training session for even better efficiency.
The decreased duration does come at a cost though, most notably the fact that
high intensity cardio is much more physically and mentally demanding to
perform when done correctly. Give an all-out session of uphill sprint intervals a
try utilizing 100% effort with minimal rest periods, and you’ll quickly discover
just how incredibly challenging this can really be even for a workout lasting as
short as 8-10 minutes in total.
Not only are HIIT sessions just plain harder to execute in general, but the
increased intensity level also creates a higher amount of muscular damage, joint
stress and central nervous system fatigue in comparison to the lower intensity
variations. HIIT cardio can almost be thought of as a “mini” weight training
workout, since the basic structure (short bursts of high muscular force followed
by a period of rest) is quite similar. As a result, HIIT cardio is more likely to
interfere with recovery and impede performance on an upcoming workout if the
weekly frequency is set too high or the sessions are not adequately spaced away
from weight training.
This is why, even though low intensity cardio burns slightly fewer calories on
average and does require a greater time investment, it still offers certain benefits
in that it’s less stressful to the body and won’t interfere with your workouts in the
same way as its HIIT counterpart. In fact, as was mentioned earlier on, a
moderate amount of low intensity cardio can actually improve recovery in
between workouts by increasing blood flow and clearing out metabolic waste
products from the muscle tissue.
Taking all of these points into consideration, both forms of cardio each have their
own unique pros and cons, and neither one is inherently “better” or “worse” than
the other.
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Another often overlooked fact is that the type of cardio you choose does not have
to be strictly limited to a very high intensity/very short duration or very low
intensity/very long duration structure. Cardio works more like a sliding scale,
and going somewhere in between the two extremes is also a viable approach
depending on your preference. For example, rather than a 10 minute HIIT
workout or 40 minutes of LISS, you could also opt for a moderate intensity 20-30
minute cardio session either done at a steady pace or also using an interval
structure.
So, what’s the bottom line on selecting the appropriate style of cardio for your
training plan?
Since high intensity/short duration, medium intensity/medium duration and low
intensity/long duration forms of cardio will all produce a similar net result in the
overall picture, most trainees will be best off to simply base the decision on
personal preference and choose whichever form is the most enjoyable, convenient
and sustainable for them as an individual.
If you prefer the time efficient nature of HIIT workouts and are comfortable with
the high levels of exertion involved, go ahead and focus on HIIT as your main
form of cardio. Or, if you’d rather dial the difficulty back slightly at the cost of a
longer duration session, a medium or lower intensity form is also acceptable. Of
course, you can also go the route of mixing your cardio variables up and
performing different styles on different days of the week.
The key takeaway here though is that beyond any specific cardio structure in
terms of intensity or length, the most important factor by far is that you simply
get your cardio done for the week, period. This is especially important if, like
many people out there, cardio isn’t an activity you’re particularly crazy about
doing in the first place and if it’s something you often feel tempted to skip.
Setting up your cardio plan based on what is most enjoyable for you (or at least,
what is most tolerable) will maximize the chances that you’ll actually stick with it
over the long term.
The only caveat to take into account here is that, when it comes specifically to
high intensity interval based cardio sessions, you’ll usually be best off to limit
these to no more than twice per week if you want to keep your muscle size and
strength gains fully optimized. Some people may be able to tolerate more than
this without any problem (there will always be individual variation at play
depending on genetics, training experience, lifestyle etc.), but in general, going
beyond two HIIT sessions per week will make it much more likely that you’ll start
running into issues with recovery. (This is especially true if you’re performing a
slightly higher frequency weight training plan in the 4-5 day per week range.)
There’s only so much HIIT cardio you can perform in combination with weight
training before the total weekly workload becomes excessive, not only in terms of
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muscular recovery, but also when it comes to joint and connective tissue health.
For that reason, if you’ll be performing three or more cardio sessions per week as
part of your training plan, the third session and beyond should ideally come in
the form of a lower intensity variation in order to keep things properly balanced.
All of the concrete guidelines in terms of cardio structure (specific interval time
frames, intensity recommendations, duration, etc.) can be found alongside the
weight training routines outlined in The Body Transformation Blueprint Workout
System.
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EXERCISE SELECTION
The final question when it comes to incorporating cardio into your weekly
training plan is in choosing the actual cardio exercises you’ll use to meet
whatever frequency/intensity/duration structure you’ll be following. Are certain
cardio machines or methods superior to others for getting in the most effective
cardio workout possible?
While there will be some slight variation in caloric expenditure based on which
cardio exercise you use (depending on the specific movement pattern and muscle
groups involved), the overall difference between them will be modest enough to
where this shouldn’t be a practical concern or something to get overly hung up
on. As long as the proper intensity/duration guidelines are in place for the
session as a whole, virtually any form of sustained physical activity can ultimately
be used as an effective form of cardio.
Therefore, following the same theme as outlined in the previous section, cardio
exercise selection is usually best made with the primary goal of long term
adherence in mind. In other words, the “best” cardio exercise for you will
generally be whatever specific machine(s) or method(s) you most prefer and that
maximize the chances that you’ll stick with your cardio plan over the long haul.
Losing fat, building muscle and maintaining optimal health is all about what you
do consistently in the big picture, and the small potential difference in calorie
burning between various exercises is generally not enough to justify switching
from one method to another at the expense of basic enjoyment, especially if there
are certain cardio exercises you really dislike doing.
For example, if you’re not a fan of indoor treadmill running and find it
particularly daunting to perform, there’s no good reason to force yourself to use it
as one of your cardio methods. Doing so will only increase the difficulty of your
workout plan unnecessarily and raise the chances that you’ll eventually fall off
track and quit. Your likelihood for long term success would almost certainly
increase considerably if you instead opted for a cardio machine that you better
prefer, whether it be a stairstepper, stationary bike, rowing machine,
stairclimber, airdyne or elliptical. Put forth a good focused effort, get your heart
rate and breathing sufficiently elevated, and any of these choices will be
acceptable and accomplish the same basic goal when it all comes down to it.
If you find it somewhat tedious to be stuck in one pattern of movement for an
extended period of time, another good option is to rotate through multiple cardio
machines during the same workout. For example, a moderate intensity session
could consist of 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on a stationary bike
followed by 10 minutes of rowing.
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Furthermore, there’s no absolute necessity to stick with
traditional cardio machines either. Other cardiovascularly
challenging activities such as jumping rope, swimming,
hitting a heavy bag, body weight intervals or light barbell
complexes could work just fine as well if you’d rather avoid
the standard treadmill or stationary bike options.
If you’d prefer to go outdoors, there’s no end to the number
of possible choices there either, such as jogging, cycling,
hiking, brisk walking, hill sprints, climbing or water
activities. Or, if you’re into sports, another good option is
to find a drop in league or get some friends together and
use that as one of your cardio methods for the week. A game of basketball, soccer,
hockey, flag football etc. are all great ways to get the fat burning and cardio
conditioning benefits you’re after without even feeling like you’re doing regular
“cardio” to begin with.
Lastly, you could take a look at the list of classes offered at your gym or other
local facilities and see if anything interests you there. Group cardio, spinning, a
TRX class, MMA class or fast paced yoga would all be perfectly acceptable
options as well if that type of cardio approach appeals to you.
The bottom line here is that if you just put the time and effort in to find a method
that you enjoy doing (or that at worst you’re neutral to), you’ll obtain all the
upsides that cardio has to offer, maximize your long term consistency, and
possibly even learn a new skill or meet new people while you’re at it. If you want
to keep things simple and straightforward by utilizing basic gym cardio machines
then that’s of course fine, but just keep in mind that you’re certainly not limited
to these choices either.
Whatever specific cardio methods you do decide to go with, just make sure that,
as we discussed in the last section, you space them out during the week so that
interference with your weight training workouts is minimized. For example, if
you were on the first day or two of recovery from heavy squats and Romanian
deadlifts, performing uphill sprint intervals or explosive plyometrics probably
wouldn’t be your best choice in that case. Or, if you had an upcoming chest and
triceps session in the next 24 hours, repetitive high intensity punching on a heavy
bag would be better replaced by something more lower body dominant, just as an
exhaustive session on a rowing machine would be ideally scheduled further away
from your back workouts.
In any case, just do the best you can to plan things out so that if you are
performing those more demanding HIIT style sessions, the cardio exercises you’ll
be utilizing don’t heavily involve the muscles you’ve just finished training or are
about to train.
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A final point to consider on the issue of cardio exercise selection is that of injury
prevention. Certain cardio exercises (particularly those that involve running or
jumping) produce a higher amount of impact on the joints that is more difficult to
recover from and that can have a cumulative wear and tear effect over time if you
aren’t careful. Not only can this eventually interfere with your ability to perform
your cardio properly, but it can also have potential carryover to your weight
training workouts as well.
If you have any pre-existing joint issues (or if you simply want to minimize the
chances for future injury and maximize recovery for the week), mixing in some
lower impact methods would be ideal (cycling, stairstepping, rowing and
swimming are a few good examples) if you are planning to include some more
demanding high impact methods such as jogging, sprinting or plyometrics in
your routine.
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INTRODUCTION
The two primary aspects of your complete body transformation program
(training and nutrition) are now set in place. You know exactly what to do in the
gym in terms of both weight training and cardio as well as how to combine them
with an effective nutrition plan based on your specific goals.
We’ll now move on to the third and final component of your overall muscle
building and fat burning approach, that being the area of proper fitness
supplementation. For most average beginners – and even for those in the
intermediate and advanced stages of training – this can be a particularly
confusing topic.
With the endless selection of different supplements available all promising
superior results over the next one, trying to separate fact from fiction within this
multibillion dollar industry can be a pretty daunting task. Everywhere you look
there’s the next “breakthrough” product trying to reach out and grab your
attention, backed by its flashy advertisements, “high profile” endorsements and
seemingly convincing research studies.
In this section, we’re going to cut straight through the hype and lay out the real,
honest truth when it comes to safe, effective and cost-efficient supplementation.
First, we’ll talk about the true role that supplements play as part of your program
and whether or not they’re even necessary to use in the first place.
Next, we’ll go over some very important (and eye opening) information about the
supplement industry as a whole, and why such a large percentage of the products
available today are ultimately best avoided.
Lastly, we’ll break down in step by step detail which specific supplements do have
legitimate use and can be optionally added to your program for a small extra
boost to your muscle gains, fat loss, training performance and general health.
Let’s begin.
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THE ROLE OF SUPPLEMENTS
The first question to address here is, quite simply, whether or not supplements
are even necessary to include in your program at all. Based on the way that most
companies portray their products in advertisements and other online content,
many trainees have been lead to believe that supplements are some sort of “make
or break” factor that they won’t be able to succeed without.
However, when it all comes down to it, the reality is that supplements are not a
mandatory aspect of an effective muscle building or fat burning program, and you
most definitely can still achieve great results without them. Proper training and
nutrition are by far the most important pieces of the equation when it comes to
building a standout physique, and most people (especially beginners) way overemphasize the role that supplements truly play in the process.
That said, just because supplements are not a necessity does not mean that they
have no use at all or should be avoided. When properly selected and taken in the
correct amounts and combinations, a few basic supplements can provide some
legitimate benefits when used in conjunction with your regular diet.
The key is to just make sure that you’re maintaining the proper perspective on
things by understanding that supplements are exactly that: supplements. They
are supplemental to your program and are only intended to provide a modest
improvement to your results and insure that you have the very best conditions in
place for optimizing your overall rate of progress.
What specific benefits can supplements provide?
First, they can improve the efficiency of your
eating plan by helping you meet your daily
nutritional needs in a more streamlined way.
Protein powders are the most popular go to
choice in this area, providing an easier means of
hitting your total protein requirements in
comparison to getting it all from solid foods only.
Secondly, supplements can provide concentrated
doses of certain muscle building, fat burning and
health promoting compounds that are difficult (or even impossible) to obtain in
optimal amounts from regular whole foods. For example, you’d need to eat
around one pound of red meat to obtain a standard 5 gram dose of creatine,
whereas a creatine supplement can provide that same amount in one small
teaspoon. Those who train hard in the gym multiple days per week also tend to be
low on certain micronutrients that are drained from the body through intense
exercise, such as magnesium and zinc. These are just a few examples of many.
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Thirdly, they can help to improve the quality of your workouts when taken
directly prior to training sessions. Although most typical commercial “preworkout blends” on the market are poorly formulated and excessively over-priced
(more on this later), there are a few research-backed compounds available that
can provide a useful edge in terms of increasing strength, energy and mental
focus in the gym when consumed in the proper forms and doses.
So yes, if your goal is to fully optimize your results over the shortest period of
time and with the greatest level of convenience, a few evidence-based
supplements can certainly have their place in rounding out your overall fitness
plan. Just don’t expect them to work any miracles, and don’t forget that they are
by no means a replacement for proper training and nutrition.
In addition, only a very small handful of available supplements are even worth
using in the first place, and you need to choose very carefully if you want to
obtain the benefits that supplements have to offer in a way that is effective, safe
and cost-efficient. Despite the endless number of different brands and products
currently lining the shelves both online and off, the truth is that the vast majority
of supplements being sold today will actually do very little to nothing when it
comes to improving your muscle building and fat burning results.
Before we get into the actual list of concrete supplement recommendations, let’s
first talk a little bit about the industry itself to give you the proper perspective on
how things really work, as well as certain “red flags” to look out for when making
your supplement buying decisions.
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SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY REALITY
Prior to the 1990s, dietary supplements were classified in the same way as
prescription drugs – manufacturers had to prove the safety and efficacy of their
products before putting them on the market.
The “Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act” of 1994 changed all of that,
separating supplements into a different regulatory category and significantly
diminishing the FDA’s power to monitor which products were approved for sale.
As a result of this deregulation, the supplement industry literally exploded.
Anyone and everyone was free to create and sell supplements of virtually any
kind, and the marketplace began overflowing with every type of product
imaginable.
Because of the high potential for profit combined
with the intense competition, companies began
employing all sorts of misleading tactics and
deceptive “shortcuts” as a means of getting
ahead. Outrageously false product claims, cheap
low quality ingredients, shady cost-cutting
manufacturing methods and even outright label
fraud became widespread.
This continued to gather momentum over the years, leading to the current state
of the industry as it is today. A state where the overwhelming majority of
bodybuilding and fitness supplements found in the marketplace are, quite simply,
over-priced junk.
Yes, there are a small handful of research-backed supplements available that are
worthwhile and that can deliver a slight increase in the overall effectiveness and
convenience of your program – however, the “good ones” are extremely few and
far between, and it’s very important that you properly educate yourself in this
area first before going out and purchasing any specific supplements for your
program.
What are some of the main problems you should be aware of in terms of how
most supplements are currently manufactured and sold?
The first is the very simple fact that the bulk of actual ingredients included in
most typical “muscle building” and “fat burning” formulas just flat out don’t work
as they’re claimed to. Despite the hundreds of different compounds out there that
are commonly promoted for their supposed ability to improve body composition
and training performance, only a very small percentage of these are actually
backed by legitimate scientific research to substantiate their effectiveness. The
rest are either based on poorly designed, “cherry picked” studies that draw no
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reliable conclusions when examined closely, or they have no actual research
behind them whatsoever.
No, all of those fancy looking bottles lining the shelves at your local supplement
store were not formulated by an educated group of “supplement scientists”
walking around in white lab coats, carefully analyzing every ingredient, dosage
and combination based on stacks of in-depth studies. In reality, the majority of
what’s out there is simply created and promoted by fitness marketers – people
who may or may not even have the necessary knowledge or qualifications to
design a safe and effective product in the first place, and who do nothing more
than pump out new fad products each month based on the latest trends.
Since the supplement industry is only very loosely regulated by the FDA, virtually
anyone with some money and a business idea can easily formulate and sell their
own supplements even if they provide no real benefit to the consumer at all.
Even in the case that legitimate, scientifically supported compounds are in fact
being used in a given product, simply including those compounds in the formula
is not enough on its own. They also need to be present in their research-backed
dosages in order to produce real, measurable benefits, and this is another area
where a very high percentage of supplements come up short.
The average consumer sees a recognizable ingredient listed on a product label
and assumes that this is good enough, when in reality the actual potency is far too
low to produce any noticeable muscle building or fat burning effect. Furthermore,
because companies are not required to list the specific amount of each individual
ingredient on their labels (they can simply list the total amount for all the
ingredients combined and hide it behind the term “proprietary blend”), you often
have no way of even knowing what's truly in the bottle to begin with.
This has nothing to do with the company’s desire to hide their “top secret
formula” from their competitors (this is what a proprietary blend is theoretically
supposed to be for), and in virtually all cases it’s nothing more than a misleading
tactic used for cutting down production costs. By using a proprietary blend, the
company can list off a bunch of popular ingredients that look great on paper, but
then sprinkle in only a very small amount of some or all of them in order to
increase their profits. (This is commonly referred to in the industry as “pixie
dusting”)
Since they know the average consumer is simply responding to the marketing and
is not going to conduct any independent research into the proper ingredient
dosages, this is a very easy thing to get away with and is why some of the top
selling supplements on the market still use proprietary blends on their labels to
this day.
For example, a particular product might list off a 5 gram proprietary blend
containing a combination of creatine monohydrate, beta alanine and citrulline
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malate. However, if you’ve taken the time to investigate the proper dosages for
each ingredient (3-5 grams for creatine, 3-6 grams for beta alanine and 4-10
grams for citrulline malate), you’ll be able to clearly see that the blend is heavily
under-dosed.
When it comes to supplementation as a whole, let’s also not forget about the basic
issue of cost. It’d be one thing to spend five or ten dollars on a product that didn’t
work, but in most cases you’ll be handing over 30, 40 or even 50+ dollars a
month per product. This can add up quite a bit over the long term, especially
considering that most trainees will be using multiple products at any given time.
The markups on most top selling supplements are absolutely through the roof,
with companies often paying just a few dollars to produce each bottle and then
selling it for 8-10 times the cost.
The supplement picture gets even more bleak when we start looking at the
various cases of blatant label fraud that have popped up over the years, with
many popular products being found to contain little to none of the actual
ingredients claimed. You might think this sort of practice would only be limited
to smaller no-name companies, but even some of the biggest supplement brands
out there have been guilty of it too. A recent 2015 case involved one of the largest
vitamin retailers in the world, where it was uncovered that only 5 out of 24
different products tested actually contained the herbs listed on the label, with
cheap fillers like rice flour, wheat and asparagus making up the rest.
Amino spiking has become another huge issue in the protein powder category
where companies routinely add cheap free form amino acids into their blends as
a way of cutting costs and artificially raising the protein count. For labeling
purposes, the protein gram amount listed on the product is based on the total
nitrogen content, meaning that even though these isolated amino acids are
technically not complete proteins, they’ll still contribute to the total. An amino
spiked powder might list “25 grams of protein per scoop” on the back, when in
reality up to half of that could just be cheap, ineffective fillers that have no real
muscle building benefits at all.
Aside from supplements being frequently under-dosed and mislabeled, some
companies have even gone as far as mixing certain banned substances into their
formulas to increase their effectiveness. You can run an online search to see a list
of cases that have popped up over the years, including instances of
amphetamines, steroid compounds and other dangerous stimulants being
illegally added to various popular products. These sorts of cases are fairly rare
overall, but it’s just another reason to be cautious when making supplement
buying decisions, especially if you’re a competitive athlete who undergoes drug
testing.
Even in the rare case that a particular supplement does overcome all of the
previous obstacles we just outlined, you still have to consider the issue of
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underlying product quality. Most people are under the impression that every
supplement company owns its own manufacturing facility and personally
develops all of its products firsthand, when in reality almost all of them outsource
the production of their formulas to third party contract manufacturers. There is
nothing inherently wrong with this (it’s common practice in many other
industries as well), but it can become a legitimate problem when lower grade
manufacturers are selected as a way of further decreasing production costs.
For example, are you receiving pure raw ingredients from verified high quality
sources, or cheaper alternatives from overseas? Are your supplements being
made in a cGMP/NSF certified facility, or one that uses unregulated, cheaper
processing methods? Are the products third party tested? Are they free of
harmful contaminants?
When supplement companies opt for inferior quality processing in the interest of
greater profits, it's like playing Russian roulette with your body. You'll never
know if the end product you're getting is truly effective, or even worse, if it's safe
for you to consume.
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SCIENCE-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS
Everything we’ve covered so far has no doubt painted quite a negative picture of
the supplement industry as a whole, but it’s very important that these various
warnings be taken seriously – otherwise, you could easily end up wasting a ton of
unnecessary money, time and effort in this area of your program trying to sift
through what works and what doesn’t. It’s by no means an exaggeration to say
that the vast majority of this industry does not have your best interests at heart,
and most trainees would be much better off to exercise a higher degree of
skepticism when it comes muscle building and fat burning supplementation in
general.
By not doing the proper supplement research first (and simply buying into the
marketing behind some random set of hyped up products instead), you’ll also end
up missing out on the potential benefits that a legitimate, science-based
supplement plan really does have to offer.
So, now that we’ve talked a bit about the downsides when it comes to improper
fitness supplementation, let’s talk about the upsides of going about it the right
way. While it is true that the bulk of supplements out there are ultimately
ineffective and best left on the shelf, there are a select few available that can offer
certain helpful benefits when taken consistently in the proper forms and doses.
Fortunately, you don’t need to spend huge amounts of money or consume endless
quantities of different pills and powders each day to get the results you’re after
here. Regardless of what you may have been previously led to believe, an effective
supplementation plan only requires the use of a few simple, straightforward
items and does not need to involve anything overly complex or fancy.
In this section we’ll be outlining a list of effective, evidence-based products that
can be optionally included in your plan as a means of maximizing dietary
convenience and promoting direct benefits on body composition, training
performance and general health. For each supplement we’ll discuss its specific
benefits and applications, proper dosing guidelines, common misconceptions to
avoid, as well as recommended brands that offer high quality versions you can
trust.
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This will include certain “approved” third party brands, as well as supplements
from RealScience Athletics, a company I personally founded in early 2018 as a
way of combatting all of the misleading tactics
so common in the supplement industry today.
RealScience Athletics takes a much different
approach to most “mainstream” supplement
brands out there by only providing a small list
of select products that are 100% researchbacked, clinically dosed, transparently labelled
and manufactured with the highest quality
cGMP certified methods available.
There are ultimately a variety of acceptable brands and products out there if you
research carefully, but if you want to remove all the guesswork and know for
certain that you’re getting the highest quality and most cost-efficient options
available, RealScience Athletics was specifically formulated with that goal in
mind. (Body Transformation Blueprint members are also eligible for a 10%
discount on their first order by using coupon code BTB10)
Since there are literally hundreds of different supplements on the market that
could be potentially reviewed here, this particular section will only focus on the
most foundational, highly recommended ones that would be considered the
“staples” of an effective supplement plan.
To learn about some “secondary” supplements that can be optionally added for
those who already have the basics covered (and the extra money to spend) as well
as a list of “non-recommended” supplements that are best avoided (and why),
you can consult the Body Transformation Blueprint Supplement Guide for more
information.
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PROTEIN POWDER
The first and most basic item on the list of recommended supplements would be
a high quality protein powder. These can be used to make a variety of different
shakes, smoothies, snacks and other recipes that will allow you to hit your daily
protein needs with improved convenience.
Although protein powder is traditionally classified as a “supplement”, it’s
technically more accurate to just view it as being a regular food product instead.
That’s because whether it’s whey, egg, casein or a plant source such as pea, soy,
brown rice or hemp, all protein powders are ultimately derived from whole foods
and provide additional protein to your diet in the same way as any other source.
The only real difference is that because of their concentrated form, they provide a
much higher amount of protein per serving in comparison to other typical solid
foods.
If you have no issues meeting your daily protein needs from a regular solid food
diet (or would just prefer to go about it that way), then the use of a protein
powder is by no means mandatory and your results won’t be negatively affected if
you choose to exclude it from your plan. However, if you enjoy the convenience
factor that protein powders provide and/or the taste, including one in your
program can be a great option to streamline your overall eating plan.
What’s the most effective and cost efficient way of selecting a protein powder for
your diet?
With literally thousands of different options on the
market to choose from, this can quickly become a
confusing choice. This is especially true when every
company out there is hyping their product up as
the best option available and giving an endless list
of reasons as to why you’ll make better gains with
their powder as opposed to another.
However, as long as you’re consuming sufficient
total protein for the day as a whole (around 0.8-1 gram per pound of body
weight), the truth is that the specific protein powder you go with is by no means a
critical decision, and you almost certainly won’t see a noticeable difference in
your bottom line results by choosing one type over another.
This is because, as we discussed previously in the nutrition chapter, all forms of
protein are ultimately broken down into their individual amino acid building
blocks after they’re ingested, and you’ll easily be getting enough of all the
different aminos your body requires for the day assuming sufficient total protein
quantity is present.
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Certain types of protein powder like whey, casein or egg technically are superior
on a gram for gram basis in comparison to most plant-based sources due to their
superior amino acid profile and absorption rate, but the differences in quality
gradually become less and less important as the total amount of protein you
consume throughout the day increases. Your body can only build a limited
amount of muscle over any specific time frame, and consuming a greater amount
and variety of amino acids once that cap has been reached is not going to help
you build muscle any faster.
The issue of protein quality would only become a legitimate concern if for some
reason your daily intake was on the lower end of the scale (for example, 0.5 or 0.6
grams per pound of body weight), in which case you’d need to choose more
carefully to ensure that you were getting the very most out of each serving.
Assuming that you are consistently getting in the recommended 0.8-1g/lb.
amount though, the particular type of protein powder you use is ultimately up to
you and primarily just comes down to the issues of taste and cost.
In addition, some people’s stomachs will tolerate certain types better than others
(for example, if you’re lactose intolerant then you likely won’t do very well using a
whey concentrate), so this is another factor to take into account as well.
The most popular form of protein powder available is whey, and this is the form
that would be recommended as a reliable “default” option since it ranks highly for
taste, mixes easily, is cost-effective and has even been shown to have certain
health benefits such as reducing inflammation and raising levels of glutathione, a
powerful antioxidant. If your protein intake is a bit closer to the “borderline” in
terms of total daily consumption, it should also be noted that whey protein has
the strongest amino acid profile gram for gram of any other source available
(primarily due to its high l-leucine content – the primary amino acid involved in
stimulating protein synthesis), along with an extremely high bio-availability
within the body.
In terms of whey protein selection, the two main types you’ll come across are
whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate. Both are exactly the same in
terms of their actual protein quality, the only difference being that whey isolate is
a more heavily filtered form and will contain a higher percentage of protein per
scoop (about 90% in comparison to the 70-80% that concentrates provide), fewer
carbs and fat, and will be virtually lactose free. Whey isolates also tend to mix up
more easily and will generally be a bit better tasting since they’re naturally
blander and are easier to flavor.
However, given that the difference in carbs and fat is quite small (around 2-3
grams per scoop at the most) and since whey isolates are reasonably more
expensive per serving, purchasing a 100% whey isolate is usually only necessary
for lactose intolerant individuals or for those who are following a very strict
cutting diet and want to absolutely minimize the carb and fat content. For
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everyone else, a good middle-ground option is to go with a whey protein product
that utilizes a blend of both whey isolate and whey concentrate. That way you’ll
still be getting a nicely flavored protein powder that mixes up easily and contains
minimal carbs and fat, but that is more cost effective per serving than buying a
pure whey isolate.
There are plenty of acceptable whey protein products out there that will meet this
criteria, but here are three reputable “tried and tested” options you can trust:
1) Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey
2) Dymatize Elite Whey
3) Cellucor COR-Performance Whey
(RealScience Athletics does not currently offer protein powders, though this will
be added to our product line in the future.)
If you’d prefer a naturally sweetened powder (the three products above are
sweetened with sucralose) then Optimum Natural 100% Whey or Body Nutrition
Trutein are both good choices in this category.
For those who are lactose intolerant, a 100% whey isolate would be more suitable
in order to avoid digestive issues, such as Dymatize ISO-100 or Allmax
IsoNatural.
Lastly, if you follow a vegan diet or would just prefer a vegan powder for whatever
reason, you can go with MRM Veggie Elite, S.A.N Raw Fusion or VEGA Sport
Performance, which all contain blends of plant-based sources such as brown rice,
pea, artichoke, alfalfa and pumpkin seed. (These are of course suitable for lactose
intolerant individuals as well)
If you’d rather go with a different brand or type of protein powder then that’s fine
too – just don’t be fooled into thinking that one company’s blend is going to
somehow produce vastly superior muscle building results to another or that you
need to pay multiple times the cost per serving for it. Again, virtually any form of
protein powder from a reputable brand is ultimately fine and will produce the
same basic effects as long as you’re consuming enough total protein for the day as
a whole.
Regardless of which specific form of protein powder you do decide to use, the
only other thing to make sure of is that the product isn’t “amino spiked”. As we
touched on earlier, amino spiking is a common cost-cutting technique where
companies add cheap free form amino acids into the powder to artificially raise
the protein total on the label. All protein powders will contain some amount of all
the different amino acids since they’re just a natural component of any complete
protein source, but the problem arises when additional singular aminos are
mixed in on top of the natural content. This exploits a “loophole” in the methods
used for measuring protein levels and boosts the total reading even though it was
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achieved through the addition of dirt cheap (and relatively useless) non-essential
amino acids.
You can tell if a given product is amino spiked by checking the “ingredients”
section of the label. The first thing you’ll usually see is the specific type of protein
listed (whether it’s whey isolate, whey concentrate, milk protein etc.) followed by
a list of flavorings, sweeteners and other smaller add-ins like thickeners and
mixing agents. If any individual amino acids are included amongst the list, you
can be relatively certain that you’re dealing with an amino spiked powder. The
most common ones you’ll typically see included are l-glycine, l-taurine and/or lmethionine, as their very low cost and naturally bland taste is perfect for cheaply
increasing the protein total while also improving the flavoring of the product.
Another thing to look out for is added creatine and/or glutamine. These two
compounds are also far less expensive to produce in comparison to complete
proteins, and since creatine is a combination of three amino acids (l-glycine, larginine and l-methionine) and glutamine is an amino acid on its own, they’ll also
register as part of the protein total. Creatine itself is definitely a worthwhile
muscle building supplement to try out (we’ll discuss this shortly), but should
always be purchased separately as it’s typically only included in protein powders
for the purposes of artificially skewing the protein total.
With that small warning out of the way, the final question to address on the issue
of protein powder use is how much to consume each day, and when. Most people
highly over-complicate this issue, typically viewing protein powders as some sort
of “high tech” bodybuilding supplement that must be consumed in precise
amounts at highly specific times of day to maximize the benefits.
However, since there’s nothing inherently “special” about protein powders
(they’re just another source of protein to include in your diet like any other),
there is no set requirement in terms of daily dosage or timing that must be
followed. It really just comes down to how much protein you prefer eating in solid
form versus liquid form (or in the form of protein powder recipes), and when it’s
most convenient and preferable for you to consume it.
For most people using a protein powder as part of their diet, anywhere from 1-3
scoops per day would be a standard amount depending on their body weight and
total protein needs. Just keep in mind that if you’re in a cutting phase and are
eating in a calorie deficit, consuming a higher percentage of your daily protein in
the form of solid food will generally be more satiating. For that reason, scaling
back on your consumption of liquid protein shakes would probably be the better
approach during a fat loss cycle if hunger is an issue for you.
In terms of protein powder timing, this is also just a matter of personal
preference since there won’t be any specific benefit to consuming it at one time of
day over another. Whether you have it in the morning in the form of a protein
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breakfast smoothie, pre-workout for something a bit lighter on your stomach
while you train, post workout for the convenience factor, or later in the evening as
some sort of protein powder dessert, it really just depends on your individual
schedule, hunger levels and what you enjoy the most.
A final point to keep in mind is that everything we’ve covered so far on the topic
of protein powders also applies to protein bars and other pre-packaged “protein
snacks” as well. These can be used as part of your diet in the same way and are
especially helpful if you’re on the go during the day and would prefer something
in a more convenient solid food form.
The only real difference is that protein bars and snacks will generally contain
higher amounts of carbohydrates and fat (unlike most powders which are
essentially pure protein), so they’ll function a bit more like a meal replacement on
their own and will be more calorie dense in comparison.
There are an endless number of different options available in this category as
well, and a few choices worth checking out include Quest Bars, Quest Chips,
Combat Crunch Bars, Syntha-6 Protein Crisp Bars, Optimum Nutrition Cake
Bites, or plant-based options such as SAN RawFusion Bars or VEGA Sport Bars.
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MULTIVITAMIN
In order for your body to build muscle, lose fat and maintain optimal health and
performance, it must be provided with a wide array of individual vitamins and
minerals each day. This is an especially important issue for hard-training lifters
and athletes, since they typically have higher requirements than the average
sedentary person.
Eating a varied, minimally processed whole food diet will certainly go a long way
in meeting a high percentage of your micronutrient needs, but is typically not
enough on its own to fully maximize the positive effects that each individual
vitamin and mineral has to offer. Certain micronutrients are drained from the
body as a result of intense training, and some can also provide additional health
and fitness related benefits when consumed in slightly higher amounts.
This is where the use of a high quality multivitamin comes into play, as it will
help to cover up any potential “holes” in your diet while also increasing levels of
the specific micronutrients that are the most difficult to obtain in optimal
amounts from regular food alone.
However, while most trainees go the route of a standard “full spectrum”
multivitamin in this area (one that includes a long list of every vitamin and
mineral available combined in various forms and potencies), there are a few
important reasons why these are usually not the ideal choice.
The first issue with traditional full spectrum multis is that by
trying to cram so many different ingredients into a single
serving (usually as a way of “hyping up” the label and
making it seem as if you’re getting a better deal than you
really are), the individual dosages on some (if not all) of the
various vitamins and minerals end up being sacrificed.
Supplement companies know full and well that the average
consumer is not highly knowledgeable in the area of proper vitamin and mineral
dosing (in fact, the formulators themselves may not even be particularly
knowledgeable either), making it very easy to cut down the production cost by
simply reducing the overall potency. For example, if your multivitamin only
provides 100mg of magnesium as opposed to the optimal 200-400mg dose, or
500IU of Vitamin D as opposed to 2000IU, you’ll only be receiving a small
fraction of the potential benefits of each micronutrient.
Not only that, but to further save on costs, most typical multis also use the
cheapest and lowest quality forms of many of the various vitamins and minerals,
in particular the ones that are the most expensive to produce. It’s critical to
understand that not all micronutrient forms are created equally. Some are readily
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absorbed by the body in high amounts, while others are simply “flushed out” and
barely utilized at all. If you’re getting zinc oxide rather than a higher quality form
such as zinc citrate, or vitamin B12 as cyanocobalamin rather than
methylcobalamin (these are just two of many examples), most of that
multivitamin tablet or capsule will simply be going to waste.
The third major problem with full spectrum multivitamins is the simple fact that
you don’t even need to be supplementing with every single vitamin and mineral
in the first place. Just because one particular micronutrient has supplemental
benefits doesn’t automatically mean that every micronutrient does, as each
vitamin and mineral has different effects within the body, varying applications
for lifters and athletes, and can be more or less easily obtained in sufficient
amounts from your regular diet.
If you’re already following a reasonably healthy eating plan to support your
fitness goals, a good percentage of your micronutrient needs are already being
covered as is. Not only does this make supplementing with certain vitamins and
minerals unnecessary from a cost perspective, but going too high on certain ones
can even be detrimental to your health.
For example, getting enough vitamin A, C and E from regular food each day is
typically not a problem for most people eating a minimally processed whole food
diet. Going significantly above the RDA on these vitamins likely isn’t going to
benefit you, and some evidence even suggests that it can have a negative impact
on training adaptations and increase mortality rates in the long term.
Most typical multis also throw in various mineral compounds that are already
present in your normal diet in easily obtainable amounts, such as chromium,
iodine, selenium, copper, phosphorus, manganese and more. Unless you have a
specific reason to do so, there’s just no need to be haphazardly putting more of
these minerals into your body. Excessive selenium, for example, can increase the
risk of developing type-2 diabetes, while high levels of copper have been
associated with the onset and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Which specific vitamins and minerals do have supplemental benefits, and what
are the ideal forms and dosages for each?
First off, it’s important to keep in mind that there’s no single “perfect”
combination of micronutrients that will apply to every person across the board,
since the ideal protocol would ultimately depend on the specific diet, training
program, lifestyle and genetics of the individual. That said, there are several
important vitamins and minerals that the majority of trainees do tend to have
lower than optimal levels of and that can provide additional assistance to your
fitness program when taken in supplemental form.
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Vitamin D
If there’s one single micronutrient out there that you should probably be
supplementing with, vitamin D would be it. The list of overall health and fitness
benefits associated with improved vitamin D status is very lengthy, including
strengthening the immune system, boosting cognitive function, improving mood
and well-being, optimizing testosterone levels and increasing muscular strength
and performance.
However, unless you live in a warm climate and spend multiple hours a day
outside in the sun, there’s a very good chance that your Vitamin D levels fall
below the ideal range. In fact, some research indicates that as high as 25-42% of
the population may be at risk for vitamin D deficiency.
Although the current RDA is set at just 600IU daily, most vitamin D research
specialists agree that this figure is far too low and that 1500-2000IU is the more
appropriate figure for those above the age of 18. The risk of vitamin D toxicity is
also very low, with some experts identifying as high as 10,000IU to be the safe
upper limit in otherwise healthy individuals.
Technically speaking, you would need to get blood work done in order to
determine exactly how much Vitamin D you should be supplementing with daily.
This is because each person will have differing baseline levels and because not
everyone metabolizes vitamin D in the exact same way. That said, 2000-4000IU
per day is a reliable amount for most people that will be both safe and effective
for raising vitamin D levels into a sufficient range. This should ideally be
consumed with a fat-containing meal to maximize its absorption, and although it
can be taken at any time of day, some people anecdotally report that vitamin D
interferes with their sleep when consumed in the later evening hours.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a co-factor in hundreds of important processes in the body and
plays a key role in maintaining optimal energy production, heart health,
digestion, detoxification, bone strength, mood and more. Of specific importance
to those following a muscle building and fat loss program are its effects on
keeping testosterone and IGF-1 levels elevated, as well as improving muscular
performance and sleep quality.
Since magnesium is depleted from the body through sweat, those who regularly
perform weight training, cardio and other intensive physical activities tend to
have lower levels that can be improved through supplementation. The research
supported dosage for magnesium lands between 200-400mg daily, taken with
food either in the form of magnesium citrate, magnesium gluconate or
magnesium diglycinate.
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Zinc
Just like magnesium, zinc is another important mineral involved in testosterone
production and immunity (along with hundreds of other processes related to
general health) and is drained from the body through sweating. Several studies
have shown that hard-training lifters and athletes are at risk for impaired zinc
status, increasing the need for additional supplementation to prevent a potential
deficiency.
15-30mg of zinc per day is an effective dosage to bring your levels of this mineral
back into the proper balance, taken with food either in the form of zinc citrate,
gluconate or picolinate.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is an often overlooked yet highly valuable compound that refers to two
different structures known as phylloquinones (K1) and menaquinones (K2).
Although the standard RDA (75mcg) is sufficient for basic health, research has
shown that higher amounts of Vitamin K above this level provide dose-dependent
benefits for cardiovascular health, bone strength, insulin sensitivity and
longevity.
Obtaining these levels through food alone is often very difficult (unless you
regularly eat fermented soy), making additional supplementation a smart option
for both gym-goers and sedentary individuals alike. Vitamin K doses vary quite a
bit depending on the needs of the individual, but consuming somewhere between
500-1000mcg daily alongside a fat-containing meal is a good guideline to follow.
The risk of Vitamin K toxicity is practically non-existent, with amounts as high as
45,000mcg being demonstrated as safe over the long term.
The four vitamins and minerals listed above (vitamin D, magnesium, zinc and
vitamin K) would be considered as the most essential micronutrients to be taken
for supplemental purposes for the average trainee, with two other optional addons being a vitamin B complex and/or calcium.
The B vitamins include B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5
(pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folate) and B12 (cobalamin).
They play a central role in converting food into usable energy and aid in an
endless number of important biological processes related to the immune system,
hormone production, cognition, growth/repair of cells and much more.
Although they can be found in abundance in whole foods, some data suggests that
intense physical activity increases B vitamin requirements and that some athletes
may have reduced levels as a result. Given the possibility of an additional health
and performance benefit along with the very low cost and high safety profile, a
basic B complex can be optionally taken to ensure that all of your bases are fully
covered in this area.
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Calcium is another mineral to consider as well, since some people (particularly
women) tend to fall short of the optimal daily amount. Calcium is highly involved
in the maintenance of bone health, as well as assisting with cardiovascular health,
moderating blood pressure and aiding in muscular contractions.
Those who regularly consume dairy products such as yogurt, milk, cheese or
whey/casein protein likely get more than enough calcium from their regular diet,
while those who exclude dairy may benefit from supplementation. Kale, spinach,
broccoli, collard greens, kelp, soy beans and almonds are all fairly calcium rich
foods as well.
Due to the significant dietary variance from person to person, calcium is best
supplemented with on an “as needed” basis only if it’s required to help an
individual meet the recommended intake of about 1000mg daily. Since excessive
amounts can lead to certain side effects such as abdominal cramping and
constipation, calcium should not be supplemented with in high amounts unless
there is a specific reason to do so.
One way to go about supplementing with the recommended micronutrients
outlined above is to simply purchase them all on their own individually. You can
either search for the proper forms online or check to see if a local supplement
store has them available.
Another great option is the Microcore blend from RealScience Athletics, which
combines all of them together into a single formula so that you can meet your
daily vitamin and mineral needs as conveniently as possible without any
guesswork involved.
Microcore takes the opposite approach of the common “full
spectrum” multivitamin by focusing only on the select
micronutrients that hard-training lifters truly require and
delivering them in their highest quality forms and full
potencies.
The formula includes vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, vitamin
K and a full vitamin B complex and excludes all of the other
vitamins and minerals that you don’t need to be paying for
or that are potentially harmful when consumed in excessive
amounts.
Since dietary calcium intakes vary so widely (and since consuming too much can
be potentially problematic), this mineral was excluded from Microcore and can
be optionally purchased on its own depending on your own personal calcium
requirements.
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FISH OIL
Fish oil has been considered a staple health and fitness supplement for decades,
and for good reason. This is because it contains the highly valuable omega-3 fatty
acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), two
essential nutrients that produce a long list of benefits within the body related to
optimizing overall health and preventing disease.
In fact, research has shown that omega-3 deficient diets are currently responsible
for up to 96,000 preventable deaths in the US alone every single year. This is
mainly due to the increased risk of heart disease that results from a low
EPA/DHA intake, which is currently the leading cause of mortality worldwide.
Fish oil improves heart health by raising levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol),
lowering triglyceride levels, reducing inflammation and moderating blood
pressure.
Beyond giving you a healthier heart, it can also give you a healthier brain too.
Fish oil has been research demonstrated to improve cognitive function, reduce
age-related mental decline, prevent the onset of certain psychological disorders,
and even decrease levels of anxiety and depression. On top of its cardiovascular
and psychological benefits, fish oil has also been shown to improve bone health,
boost immune system function, enhance skin health, improve vision and increase
circulation.
A proper daily dose of EPA/DHA can also have positive effects on your ability to
build muscle, burn fat and perform at your full potential in the gym. Fish oil
consumption has been shown in research to increase activation of the mTOR
pathway (a central trigger of protein synthesis), reduce cortisol levels (helping to
prevent muscle breakdown), improve fatty acid oxidation and insulin sensitivity,
decrease the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness and assist in reducing
inflammatory joint pain.
Unfortunately, despite all of the potential benefits associated with adequate
EPA/DHA consumption, the average person following a typical Western diet
consumes just 10-20% of the proper daily amount. The American Heart Health
Association recommends 1 gram of combined EPA/DHA per day, with some
research showing benefits up to as high as 6 grams.
If you are in the minority of people who consume the equivalent of about one
serving of fatty fish every day (roughly 100 grams), then you’re likely already
receiving enough EPA and DHA from your diet to maximize its benefits.
However, keep in mind that eating very high amounts of fish rich in omega-3’s
also increases your risk of consuming an excessive concentration of heavy metals
and other environmental toxins, making fish oil supplementation a good option
to help get your daily dose without this potential downside.
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Before you simply run out and grab the first bottle
of fish oil you see off the shelf though, it’s important
to understand that not all fish oil is created equally.
There are a few key differences that must be
considered, most notably the specific type of oil
you’re getting and the manufacturing methods used.
The majority of popular fish oils on the market are
delivered in the processed “ethyl ester” form, since this is the cheapest type for
supplement companies to produce. Ethyl esters are created by removing glycerol
molecules from the natural triglycerides found in the oil and replacing them with
ethanol. While this form does provide a high level of purity and strong
concentrations of EPA/DHA per gram, it isn’t absorbed as effectively in
comparison to other types since it is much harder for the body to break down for
use.
Research has shown that fish oils in the natural (unprocessed) triglyceride form
are absorbed more readily than ethyl esters, as well as being less susceptible to
rancidification, meaning they won’t go bad as quickly. Unfortunately, the low
level of processing involved with natural triglyceride fish oils also means that they
typically contain higher levels of contaminants and lower levels of EPA/DHA per
gram.
It’s not that these two forms of fish oil are inherently bad, but in order to obtain
the benefits that each one has to offer while minimizing the downsides, the “reesterified triglyceride” form (rTG) is what you should ideally look for. This form
uses various enzymes to convert ethyl esters back into triglycerides, improving
the bio-availability, potency and stability of the oil. Re-esterified triglycerides are
slowly becoming the new standard in fish oil supplementation, providing an
absorption rate that is superior to both the ethyl ester and natural triglyceride
forms while still maintaining high levels of purity and strong EPA/DHA potency.
A good supplemental guideline to aim for is 1-2 grams of total EPA/DHA per day,
going with the lower or higher end depending on how much (if any) fatty fish you
consume from your regular diet. You can take your entire fish oil dosage all at
once, but to maximize absorption and reduce the chances of unwanted “fish
burps”, splitting it up into two separate doses consumed in the morning and
afternoon would be ideal. Although fish oil is not a stimulant, it does increase
brain activity and so a slight stimulatory effect may be felt after supplementation.
There an endless number of different fish oil products on the market to choose
from, but a very high quality option that matches all of the guidelines given above
is the RealScience Athletics 03 Prime blend.
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O3 Prime provides a 100% re-esterified triglyceride form fish
oil sourced from Icelandic deepwater anchovy, as studies
have shown that small, cold-water, non-predatory fish
provide the healthiest source of oil available.
It’s processed using a method known as “enhanced molecular
distillation” to purify the oil further, and contains 565mg of
combined EPA/DHA per serving delivered in enteric coated,
lemon flavored softgels to eliminate the fishy aftertaste very
common with other lower grade fish oil products.
As an added bonus, 03 Prime is also a proud member of
“Friend Of The Sea”, a strict certification that evaluates
manufacturers to ensure that they’re sourcing their oil using
sustainable, environmentally friendly methods.
This includes the use of minimally destructive fishing methods, limiting how
much can be caught from specific areas, avoiding critical habitat areas,
prohibiting the use of growth hormones/GMO’s/toxins, and minimizing carbon
footprint.
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CREATINE
Creatine is the single most researched sports supplement in the world and is
backed by hundreds of studies demonstrating it to be a safe and effective
compound for improving muscle growth and training performance. Of any
bodybuilding supplement intended to produce a direct, measurable increase in
strength and lean muscle gain, creatine has the strongest track record by far and
has stood the test of time since its release in the early 1990s.
Although creatine is found naturally in foods like red meat and fish, you’d have to
consume a very large (and unrealistic) quantity of these foods to fully saturate the
body’s creatine stores, making additional supplementation necessary in order to
maximize its benefits.
The primary way that creatine works is by improving the efficiency of the body’s
ATP energy system, resulting in an increase in overall muscular strength. ATP
(adenosine tri-phosphate) is the key energy molecule utilized during short,
explosive bouts of exercise such as weight training. This energy is produced as the
body “rips off” one of ATP’s phosphate groups and converts it into ADP
(adenosine di-phosphate). Supplemental creatine helps the body convert ADP
back into ATP at a faster rate, allowing you to lift slightly more weight and
squeeze out additional repetitions on your sets.
Since creatine requires additional water for it to be stored in the body, another
added benefit is that it produces a slight increase in muscle “fullness” as it draws
that extra fluid into the muscle cells. Some people worry that this will result in a
“soft” or “bloated” looking appearance, but this is not the case since the added
water is stored intra-muscularly rather than directly beneath the skin.
Don’t expect anything overly dramatic as a result of creatine use (just as with any
supplement for that matter), but it often can be a useful addition for those who
are aiming to fully optimize their muscle building results. The reason why the
term “often” is used in this case is because creatine supplementation does not
affect every person in the same way, with up to 30% of the population being
classified as “non-responders” who don’t obtain any noticeable benefits.
However, given the very low cost of creatine supplements (anywhere from 2-4
cents per gram if you select the right product), you can experiment with it very
inexpensively to determine whether or not it’s worth keeping in your plan. If you
don’t experience any clear increase in strength or any changes to your visual
appearance or scale weight after about 2-3 weeks of consistent use, there’s a good
chance that you’re a non-responder (or at least, a minimal responder) and can
simply discontinue using it.
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What is the best form of creatine to use, and what is the optimal approach in
terms of daily dosage and timing?
Despite the endless number of online articles and
videos discussing the topic of proper creatine use
(along with the thousands of different creatine
products you’ll find on the market), the reality is
that effective creatine supplementation is very
simple and straightforward when it all comes down to it. You don’t need to spend
your money on any fancy high-priced creatine blends, nor do you need to follow
any complicated dosing protocols involving special “loading phases” or “creatine
cycles” as is commonly recommended.
Just purchase any basic creatine monohydrate product (ideally in the form of
“Creapure”) and consume 3-5 grams (roughly 1 rounded teaspoon) once per day.
You can mix your creatine with any liquid of your choice (juice, water, tea, coffee,
protein shake etc.) and can take it at whatever time of day is most convenient for
you. When it comes to maximizing the benefits of creatine supplementation,
that’s really all there is to it.
Ever since the original creatine monohydrate was released over two decades ago,
a wide variety of “new and improved” creatine products have come along with it,
all claiming to provide superior muscle building results to the basic monohydrate
form. Creatine ethyl ester, creatine hydrochloride, buffered creatine (commonly
sold under the brand name “KreAlkalyn”), creatine nitrate and creatine serum are
just a few examples. Although they’re often priced at anywhere from 3-10 times
higher than monohydrate, the reality is that not a single research study to date
has ever demonstrated any of these “advanced” creatine forms to be superior in
way.
Creatine monohydrate has an extremely high bio-availability in humans of nearly
100% and will result in full creatine saturation of the muscles within a few weeks
of continued use. It does not cause “bloating”, “cramping” or other unwanted side
effects as many companies will often claim (this is simply a marketing gimmick
designed to sell you a more expensive creatine product), and has a solid safety
profile backed by countless studies. There’s really nothing more you can ask for
from a creatine supplement, and until or unless further research comes out to
show otherwise, monohydrate is still the most reliable and cost-efficient option
available.
Just make sure that your monohydrate is sourced as “Creapure” (you’ll see this
listed on the label) as this is the highest grade form available and will ensure that
you’re receiving a fully purified product that meets label claim. There are many
different Creapure based products out there to choose from, with Optimum
Nutrition 100% Creatine being a reputable source to go with.
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When it comes to the issue of creatine dosing, don’t be misled by some
recommendations you’ll hear that advocate upwards of 10 grams of creatine or
more per day – again, this is just another tactic used by companies to sell you
more product that you don’t really need, with 3-5 grams per day being easily
sufficient for the vast majority of people.
Many companies will also commonly advise the use of a “creatine loading phase”
(where 20 grams in total is consumed per day for the first 4-5 days in divided
doses of 5 grams), but this is ultimately unnecessary as well. Although a loading
phase technically will lead to faster creatine saturation and produce the full
benefits within a slightly shorter time frame, 2-3 weeks at the standard 3-5 gram
per day dose will still get you to the exact same point regardless.
Going with the lower dose over a slightly longer period will make the overall
process a bit easier since you won’t have to consume such a large quantity of
creatine in one day, and will save you a few extra dollars as well as an added
bonus. Loading is still an option if you simply want to see results as quickly as
possible and determine right off the bat whether or not creatine really works for
you, but just keep in mind that it won’t provide any additional muscle building
benefit over the longer term.
There’s also no need to perform a “creatine cycle” by periodically going “on” and
“off” every few weeks or months as is also sometimes advised. Continually unsaturating and re-saturating the muscles with creatine is not going to give you
any advantage beyond steady continuous use, and there is no evidence to suggest
that ongoing creatine supplementation poses any health risks or causes any
alterations to the body’s natural production.
In terms of optimal creatine timing, the typical recommendations you’ll hear
stating that you should consume your creatine either pre-workout (to improve
training performance) or post-workout (to maximize absorption) are also
misguided. If you prefer taking your creatine supplement either pre or postworkout for whatever reason then that’s fine, but it won’t improve your results in
comparison to taking it at any other time of day.
Creatine has no immediate, acute effects on strength and energy levels, and once
your body has reached full saturation, that creatine will always be readily
available for your muscles to use any time they need it. Because of this, there’s no
specific benefit to taking creatine right before your workout. And although
consuming your creatine post-workout may allow for slightly faster absorption
due to the increased nutrient uptake during this time, “faster absorption” doesn’t
provide any unique advantages in and of itself. The body is highly efficient when
it comes to the process of creatine digestion, and regardless of when you consume
your creatine supplement, the full dose will eventually be absorbed by the
muscles one way or another.
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Another important myth to dispel is the idea that your creatine must be mixed
with a high sugar drink in order to be properly utilized, such as grape juice,
Gatorade or dextrose powder. It’s commonly recommended that simple sugars be
used to “spike” your insulin levels, which will then increase the delivery of the
creatine into the muscles. However, research has shown that total net creatine
absorption remains unaffected whether it’s taken on its own or alongside
carbohydrates, not to mention that mixing your creatine with 20-30 grams of
simple sugar each time will also add a good chunk of unnecessary empty calories
to your daily diet.
As a final note, whether you mix your creatine with hot, warm or cold water is
also a non-issue (your body will break down and absorb the creatine once it
reaches your stomach regardless), and contrary to some old outdated advice you
may still hear floating around, combining creatine with caffeine does not
negatively affect its uptake either.
At the end of the day, all it takes to fully optimize the benefits of creatine is 3-5
grams of Creapure-based monohydrate once per day, taken at whatever time
you’d like and mixed with any liquid you prefer. Any other “advanced” creatine
guidelines or higher priced products being promoted to you are nothing more
than marketing gimmicks and will simply be a waste of both your time and
money.
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PRE-WORKOUT
The final “approved” item on the list of recommended supplements would be a
high quality pre-workout, the purpose of which is to maximize the overall quality
of your training sessions by increasing your levels of energy, strength and mental
focus. While certainly not a mandatory inclusion in your supplement plan, a few
basic pre-workout compounds taken 20-30 minutes prior to hitting the gym can
be a helpful addition for those who enjoy the extra “kick” they provide and who
are serious about fully optimizing their training performance.
However, it’s important that the terms “few” and “basic” not be overlooked here,
as there’s no need to turn your pre-workout supplementation plan into an overly
complicated process involving an endless list of different ingredients costing 50
dollars a month or more.
The vast majority of fancy “commercial” pre-workout
blends might seem appealing at first glance, but in most
cases they’re based on nothing more than over-hyped
marketing and flashy packaging as opposed to legitimate
supplement science. They typically follow the same theme
as discussed in the multivitamin section by including an
excessively long list of different ingredients that are mostly ineffective and underdosed, often hidden behind a “proprietary blend” so that you don’t even know
what you’re truly getting in the first place.
The average consumer takes a look at the product label and is impressed by the
wide variety of “stuff” they’re getting in each scoop, without realizing that the
majority (if not all) is nothing more than a bunch of useless fluff and filler.
Hundreds of different compounds on the market are currently being promoted as
potential “pre-workout boosters”, when in reality only a very small percentage of
these are legitimately supported by reliable scientific studies.
Rather than trying to needlessly cram 8, 10, 12 or more different ingredients into
your pre-workout blend (many of which may be providing no real benefits at all),
a much more effective approach is to just focus in on a smaller number of
compounds (those that are actually backed by solid research) and consume them
in their full clinical doses and highest quality forms for maximum benefit.
Besides, the goal of a pre-workout supplement is not to heavily wire you up on
multiple stimulants and leave you feeling like you’re on the verge of a heart
attack, but rather to simply provide a small, sustained boost of additional
strength and energy to assist you throughout your training session. For that
reason, there’s no need to get carried away in terms of ingredient complexity in
the first place.
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While there are several different viable pre-workout compounds that could be
potentially used here, three particular ingredients stand out based on their
overall effectiveness, safety profile and cost.
Caffeine
Most people are already aware of caffeine’s basic effects when it comes to
increasing energy levels, mental focus and alertness. Caffeine has also been
shown in research to directly boost muscular strength, cardiovascular
performance and reaction times, along with lowering the perception of fatigue
and discomfort during training.
In addition, caffeine offsets the natural decrease in strength that occurs during
morning workouts as compared to afternoon/evening workouts, which is a useful
benefit for those who prefer to train earlier in the day. As a small added benefit,
caffeine also increases thermogenesis to help you burn slightly more total calories
and fat during your training sessions.
A standard dose of caffeine for pre-workout purposes would be between 200300mg. This amount is large enough to deliver the performance boosting benefits
of caffeine, but small enough to eliminate the unwanted “jitters” or “mid-workout
crash” that often accompanies larger doses. Everyone tolerates caffeine
differently and will have varying levels of sensitivity to it, so it’s best to
experiment for yourself by starting off on the low end and gradually increasing
the dosage until you find the amount that is most comfortable for you.
L-Tyrosine
This amino acid is one of the primary building blocks for important
catecholamines involved in neuromuscular performance: dopamine, adrenaline
and noradrenaline. Several studies have shown significant benefits associated
with l-tyrosine supplementation regarding cognitive enhancement,
improvements in concentration, as well as helping the mind cope more effectively
in stressful situations. L-tyrosine also works synergistically with caffeine, since it
increases catecholamine production while caffeine increases their release.
Effective dosages for l-tyrosine can fall into quite a wide range depending on a
variety of factors, from as little as 500mg up to 6000mg or more. As part of a
balanced pre-workout blend, a middle ground dose of around 2000-3000mg will
work well for most people when paired with 200-300mg of caffeine.
Citrulline Malate
L-citrulline is an amino acid, while malic acid is a salt compound found in apples
and other fruits. When combined as citrulline malate, these compounds work
together to minimize muscular fatigue and improve training performance. By
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accelerating the clearance of ammonia and lactate (two metabolic waste products
that impair muscle contractions), citrulline malate helps you perform additional
repetitions during your sets and recover more quickly in between them as well.
Citrulline malate has also been shown to reduce post workout muscle soreness,
which can improve recovery and maximize strength and performance on
upcoming workouts. Along with these two benefits, citrulline malate may also
improve aerobic exercise performance and increase nitric oxide circulation by
raising blood levels of l-arginine.
The research supported dosage for citrulline malate typically falls between 6-8
grams, taken in a 2:1 ratio of l-citrulline to malic acid. Citrulline malate has no
stimulant properties, though consuming very large doses can cause
gastrointestinal discomfort in some people. Just to be on the safe side, it’s usually
best to start off with a slightly lower amount in order to assess your tolerance
first.
How you specifically combine these three recommended ingredients is ultimately
up to you and depends on just how “advanced” you want your pre-workout
supplementation approach to be, as well as how much money you’re willing to
spend. Using caffeine on its own is one option (either in pill form or as part of a
caffeinated beverage), as is using a basic caffeine/l-tyrosine combination, or
utilizing all three together with citrulline malate included as well.
The PureForm pre-workout blend from RealScience
Athletics is a great option here as well, as it combines the
highest quality forms of caffeine anhydrous (200mg), ltyrosine (3000mg) and citrulline malate (6000mg) into a
100% naturally sweetened fruit punch flavored powder for
guaranteed purity and convenience.
As an added bonus, the formula also includes 200mg of the
amino acid l-theanine, which works alongside caffeine to
further increase mental focus, alertness and motivation,
while at the same time “smoothening out” the caffeine buzz
by inducing mental relaxation without any sedative effects.
The combination of l-theanine and caffeine is one of the most widely studied
“nootropic stacks” available for promoting enhanced cognition, since the two
compounds have synergistic effects when consumed together. The typical dose is
either a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio of l-theanine to caffeine, as this strikes a good balance
between increasing energy levels with the caffeine while achieving a clean
“grounded focus” with the l-theanine.
However you choose to go about it, your pre-workout combination should ideally
be taken 20-30 minutes before your training session for the best results.
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Although many companies will simply encourage you to use their product as
often as possible to maximize repeat buys, this is not the ideal way to use a preworkout formula since overly frequent use will reduce the body’s sensitivity to the
ingredients over time. You can prevent tolerance from building by only using
your pre-workout 2-3 times per week (4 times at the very most), minimizing your
intake of other caffeine-containing beverages, and by cycling off for 1-2 weeks
after every 6-8 weeks of continued use. The only ingredient this does not apply to
is citrulline malate, since unlike caffeine/tyrosine/theanine, it does not have
tolerance building properties even when used on a continuous basis.
You should also make sure to avoid consuming your pre-workout within 6-8
hours of bed to ensure that your sleep isn’t disturbed, and if you have any preexisting medical conditions or are using any prescription medications, consult
your physician first before supplementing with any stimulant-based ingredients.
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INTRODUCTION
Although you’ll be starting your fitness program out in either a calorie surplus for
bulking or calorie deficit for cutting, getting all the way to your ultimate goal
physique will most likely not be a perfect “one-way” street. In most cases, there
will eventually come a point where you’ll need to change up your approach and
transition from one primary goal to the other.
This could mean switching from cutting to bulking once you’ve leaned down far
enough to start adding more overall mass to your frame, or shifting from bulking
to cutting if your body fat has hit the upper end of the recommended range or you
simply want to strip off a bit of fat based on your preferred look.
The other possibility is that you’ve reached your desired level of both muscularity
and leanness and want to transition from either bulking or cutting into a basic
maintenance phase to simply keep your existing body composition intact.
In any case, this section will outline the exact training and nutrition steps to
follow for each scenario in order to keep your program on the proper track and
optimize your results as you switch between various goals.
Let’s go over it.
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CUTTING TO BULKING TRANSITION
So, you’ve just finished up your cutting phase and have reached a sufficient level
of leanness to begin bulking from (approximately 12-14% body fat or lower for
men and 19-21% or lower for women), and now it’s time to shift into “muscle
building mode” and begin putting on some additional lean mass.
If you want to keep fat gains minimized and maintain the conditioning you
achieved during your fat loss cycle moving forward, it’s very important that you
have a proper post-cutting plan in place. There’s more to a proper cut-to-bulk
transition than simply “eating more calories”, and if you’re just coming off of a
prolonged calorie deficit, eating based purely on hunger and cravings is the last
thing you should be doing during this period. This is how most people tend to go
about it, and it’s exactly why so many end up putting on an excessive amount of
unwanted fat and undoing a good chunk of their cutting progress after their diet
has ended.
The body is a very fine-tuned and adaptable system, and whenever you restrict
calories over any reasonable length of time, several important adjustments are
made to help you conserve energy and operate more efficiently on fewer calories.
Remember, the basic hard-wired systems of your body aren’t concerned with
your desire for visible six pack abs or striated shoulders; all they’re really trying
to do is maintain a balanced state of homeostasis to ensure survival. This process
is known as “metabolic adaptation” and is achieved through a variety of biological
changes where key fat burning hormones such as leptin, testosterone and T3 are
all decreased.
On top of this reduction in fat burning hormone levels, the process of “nonexercise activity thermogenesis” (or “NEAT” for short) also naturally decreases as
a way to further reduce caloric expenditure. NEAT involves all of the smaller
actions you take throughout the day that you probably don’t think too much
about, such as walking between places, climbing stairs, pacing, typing, fidgeting
in your seat etc. These things might seem fairly insignificant when it comes to
burning fat, but NEAT can actually account for several hundred up to a thousand
calories or more burned per day depending on the individual.
Let’s also not forget the simple fact that as you lose body weight, you won’t be
carrying around as much total mass in general. For example, moving a 200
pound body throughout the day obviously requires a greater number of calories
in comparison to moving a 170 pound body.
In addition to everything mentioned so far is the basic fact that your appetite and
cravings will have significantly increased as your body tries to motivate you to
consume more calories to bring things back into balance. Not only will you just
feel hungrier in general, but foods you otherwise wouldn’t have been overly
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interested in will suddenly seem much more appealing as well, making it even
more difficult to keep your total calorie intake under control.
The bottom line here is that once your cutting phase has ended, your body will be
physiologically primed for maximum fat storage and your desire for food will be
at its highest. This is why haphazardly increasing your calories without following
a concrete plan is almost always a recipe for disaster.
Many trainees will try to justify eating those large quantities of post-diet food by
falling back on the “it’s okay, I need the extra calories because I’m bulking”
mentality. However, as we covered in the previous nutrition chapter, it only takes
a relatively small calorie surplus to maximize the body’s muscle building
potential over any given day, and any excess calories consumed beyond that point
will simply be stored as fat. For that reason, aimlessly dumping an extra 1000+
calories on top of your previous intake will be both unnecessary and downright
counterproductive to your physique.
If you’re only going particularly high on calories for a short term period of a
couple days or so just to reward yourself once your cut is over, that should be fine
and won’t cause any real damage as long as it doesn’t spiral out of control beyond
that. All in all though, the underlying approach of your cutting to bulking
transition should be to increase your calories in a controlled manner so that you
can move back to your maintenance level and into a surplus while maintaining
the leanness you’ve achieved. It’s impossible to completely prevent fat gains
altogether (you’ll always add some body fat when eating in a surplus no matter
how you go about it), but the goal is to simply keep it minimized.
What’s the most effective way to go about this?
One method that is commonly prescribed is known as “reverse dieting”, where
calories are gradually increased in small increments from week to week until the
trainee eventually gets back to their maintenance level. While this approach
might seem to make sense at first glance since it keeps calories very tightly
monitored and ensures that you don’t over-eat, a slow reverse diet won’t be the
best approach in the vast majority of situations.
This is because bumping up your calories by only 5-10% at a time (a standard
weekly increase for a typical reverse diet) will actually keep you in a net calorie
deficit for several more weeks even after your diet has ended. For example, if
you’re eating in a 500 calorie deficit and finish your cut at 1800 calories, a 10%
increase would only add about 200 calories back to your intake, keeping you in a
300 calorie deficit overall. If you’ve already reached your desired level of leanness
and are not aiming to lose any more fat, following a drawn out approach like this
will only prolong the amount of time it takes to get your metabolism re-elevated
and your hormones and appetite back in check.
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Instead of slow reverse dieting, your goal instead should be to begin eating right
back at your calorie maintenance level as soon as your cut is over. That way, your
body can return to functioning at its peak as quickly as possible and you can
move straight into your lean bulking phase without wasting any time. By
definition, your calorie maintenance level is the intake required to maintain your
current weight, so as long as you calculate it with reasonable accuracy then
there’s no danger of any sudden gains in body fat.
However, the one key thing to understand here (and the main factor that most
dieters tend to overlook) is that your calorie maintenance level at the end of a cut
is not the same as it was at the beginning. Since your body is now expending
fewer total calories due to your down-regulated metabolism, decreased body
weight and lowered levels of NEAT, your calorie maintenance level will have
decreased as well.
For example, a common scenario might be a trainee who starts off with a
maintenance level of 3000 calories and begins their cut at 2500 calories. They
eventually finish their cut at 2000 calories, and then immediately jump right
back to 3000 calories thinking it’s their maintenance level, or even higher
(perhaps up to 3200-3300 calories or more) as they attempt to add an extra
surplus for muscle growth on top of it. In reality, their actual maintenance level
may now be closer to 2500 calories as opposed to 3000, and their daily intake for
muscle growth may be more like 2700-2800 calories rather than 3200-3300.
Always keep in mind that your calorie maintenance level is not a static number
that never changes. Instead, it’s a moving target that increases or decreases as
your calorie intake and body weight move up or down. Because of this, it’s very
important that you make sure to re-calculate your new calorie maintenance level
based on your body weight after your cut has ended.
You can use the same calculations found in the nutrition chapter in order to
determine this, whether it be the basic multiplier, Harris Benedict formula or
Katch McArdle formula. These calculations will never be 100% accurate since
there are so many individual metabolic factors to take into account, but they
should be close enough to provide a reliable figure you can start out with.
One other method you can use is to base your new calorie maintenance level off
of the rate of weekly weight loss you were experiencing toward the end of your
cut. For example, if you were losing around one pound per week in the final week
or two of your fat loss phase, this would represent roughly a 500 calorie daily
deficit since one pound of fat contains about 3500 calories. In that case, you
could simply add 500 calories back to your current daily intake, which should put
you right around your new maintenance level.
You’ll likely experience a small amount of immediate weight gain once you bump
your calories back up, but assuming you’ve calculated your new intake accurately,
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this is simply due to increases in muscle glycogen, water retention and overall
food volume rather than being caused by any significant gains in body fat.
Give that initial increase a few days to settle in, and from there, monitor the scale
with the goal of finding the calorie intake that causes your body weight to
stabilize. It’s normal for your weight to fluctuate slightly from day to day, but
once it is remaining relatively consistent overall, you’ll know that you’ve found
your new maintenance level.
From there, you can complete your cutting to bulking transition by moving into a
calorie surplus for muscle growth based on the figures given in chapter 3 of either
100, 200 or 300 calories above maintenance.
Also remember that once you increase your calories following a cutting phase,
your resting caloric expenditure will begin to increase as your fat burning
hormone levels come back into balance and your metabolism re-adjusts itself. So,
even though your new calorie intake may seem a bit low at the outset, you should
be able to gradually push it higher and steadily consume more food as the weeks
go on without any accompanying gains in body fat. Just make sure to continue
tracking your body weight closely from week to week, adding in an extra 100-150
calories to your daily intake whenever the scale clearly plateaus for a 1-2 week
period.
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BULKING TO CUTTING TRANSITION
That covers the process of properly switching from a cut to a bulk, but what if
you’re coming from the opposite end of the spectrum and will be transitioning
from bulking to cutting? Perhaps you’ve been carrying out a prolonged muscle
building phase and have reached the recommended body fat “cap” outlined
previously (approximately 18-20% for men or 25%-27% for women), or you’re
simply at a level that exceeds your personal preference and want to do a quick
mini-cut before going back to bulking.
While you certainly won’t need to follow a long, drawn out process of very slowly
adjusting your calories from week to week in this case either (as with reverse
dieting, this is simply unnecessary and a waste of time), dropping straight from a
full calorie surplus into a full calorie deficit over night is also typically not the best
way to go about it.
Since your body will have become accustomed to your higher calorie intake for
bulking, cutting your calories all at once can end up being a bit of a “shock” to
your system, often resulting in a large upward spike in appetite along with a
significant drop in physical and mental energy levels. This can make the first few
weeks of your cut a lot more difficult to follow in comparison to dropping your
calories at a slightly slower pace, decreasing the chances that you’ll stay on the
proper track with your new fat loss diet moving forward. A certain amount of
hunger and energy loss while cutting is completely normal and is to be expected,
but it should be fairly modest overall without interfering with regular day to day
tasks.
By implementing a brief “pre-diet phase” where calories are tapered down a bit
more gradually from a surplus into a deficit, these various “dieting side effects”
can be offset in order to keep the transition as smooth and successful as possible.
This phase is not 100% mandatory for everyone (more on this shortly), but if
you’re coming off of a prolonged bulk lasting several months or more and will be
committing to a slightly longer term cut, it generally is a smart idea in the
majority of cases.
The first step for this is to figure out what your starting calorie intake will be for
your cutting phase. Just as your calorie maintenance level will have shifted
downward slightly once you’ve reached the end of a fat loss cycle, it will have also
shifted upward at the end of a bulk. This is because you’ll be carrying around
more total body weight throughout the day and will also have a higher basal
metabolic rate due to greater levels of lean muscle mass, increased NEAT, as well
as various hormonal adjustments that take place as a result of consuming more
calories in general.
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So, just as we covered in the previous section, you’ll want to make sure to
reconfigure your new maintenance level by entering your updated stats into one
of the calorie calculators found in the nutrition chapter. Or, if your body weight
had remained relatively stable during the final week or two of your bulk, no
calculations will be necessary since whatever amount you were consuming in that
period would represent your new maintenance calories.
Once you’ve estimated your current calorie maintenance level and have applied
the necessary 350-500 calorie deficit to it (advanced trainees aiming for a more
aggressive cut can optionally go with a slightly larger deficit if they’d like), you’ll
have your initial calorie intake in place for cutting. The next step is to calculate
the difference between your previous bulking calorie intake and your new cutting
calorie intake, divide the resulting figure by 3, and then decrease your calories by
that amount each week over a 3 week period.
For example, if you finished your bulk at 3000 calories daily and were planning
to start your cut at 2250 calories, that would represent a total drop of 750
calories. Divided by 3, this gives you a weekly decrease of 250 calories, meaning
you’d drop down to 2750 for the first week, 2500 on the second, finishing off at
2250 on the third week.
From there, you’d monitor the scale and adjust your calories further if necessary
depending on how your body weight is (or isn’t) changing. If you aren’t losing at
least one pound per week consistently, you’ll know that the intake is too high and
needs to be decreased slightly. In that case, continue applying decreases of 100150 calories every 5-7 days until the weight starts coming off at an acceptable
pace. Or, if you find that you’re losing weight very rapidly (more than 2 pounds
per week consistently) and/or are feeling excessively hungry and physically
drained, you can do the opposite by applying increases of 100-150 calories in
order to slow things down to the appropriate level.
That takes care of the nutritional aspect of your bulking to cutting transition, but
how should you adjust your cardio and weight training?
In terms of cardio, just take whatever additional weekly amount you’ll be
performing as part of your cut and add the extra sessions in evenly from week to
week throughout the transition process. For example, if you were planning to
perform two extra cardio sessions per week in comparison to what you were
doing during your bulk, you would add in one extra cardio session for the first
week and the second session on the second week.
On the weight training side of things, keep in mind that whether your primary
focus is on gaining muscle or losing fat, your basic approach in the gym should
remain exactly the same. The total weekly volume can be reduced slightly during
a cut if you find that your strength levels are noticeably dropping (this will be
covered in more detail in the next chapter), but as we discussed in the previous
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weight training section, it’s very important to avoid the very common error of
switching to a “light weight/high rep” plan as a way of somehow “defining” or
“shaping” your muscles as you drop the fat.
There’s nothing you can do to spot reduce fat from specific areas of your body by
training those areas with weights, and resistance training is only intended to
target the muscles that are involved in each exercise rather than the surrounding
fat stores. Altering your weight training plan by utilizing lighter weights, higher
reps, more isolation movements and shorter rest periods as is often done will
only weaken the overall training stimulus and encourage the chances of muscle
and strength loss during your fat loss cycle.
As a final note on the subject of transitioning from a bulk to a cut, it should be
mentioned that while the pre-diet phase method given above would be
recommended to most people in order to moderate appetite and reduce
physical/mental energy loss throughout the process, it’s not an absolute must
that it be followed in every single case. If you’d rather just go ahead and “tough
out” the first few weeks of your deficit in order to lose the fat as quickly as
possible (or if you have an upcoming event that you want to lean down for by a
certain date), the pre-diet phase can optionally be skipped.
Muscle loss won’t be a concern as long as your overall training and nutrition
remains on point as a whole, so if you are willing to deal with the potential
“dieting side effects” associated with a fast drop in calories, moving straight into a
full deficit is one route you can go depending on your personal goals and
preferences.
The one situation where the pre-diet phase generally is skipped for the most part
is when a shorter term “mini-cut” is being implemented as opposed to a longer
term fat loss phase. Just as the name implies, a mini-cut is a brief cutting cycle of
about 2-6 weeks in length that is performed during a bulk in order to strip off
some of the excess fat you’ve accumulated along the way.
Rather than bulking from, say, 12% body fat up to 18% and then back down again,
the use of periodic mini-cuts might have you bulking from 12% body fat up to
15%, then back to 12% and so on. Neither approach is inherently right or wrong,
and it just depends on the individual in terms of their preferred look and which
method keeps them the most motivated throughout the process.
In any case, if you are going to be carrying out a shorter mini-cut lasting only a
few weeks, going straight into your full calorie deficit is generally fine since the
primary goal is to simply burn off a small amount of fat and then get right back to
your muscle building phase. You can still implement a pre-diet phase with mini
cuts if you’d prefer, but it generally isn’t necessary if you want to keep things as
efficient as possible.
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MAINTENANCE TRANSITION
The final transitioning option is for those who have come to the end of a
particular phase of training and are no longer aiming to put on additional muscle
or lose further body fat, but instead just want to maintain their current body
composition. Perhaps they’ve reached their goal physique and are satisfied with
the results they’ve achieved (at least for the time being), or need to temporarily
put their fitness plan on hold for some reason but don’t want to regress during
that time.
The good news is that this is quite a simple and straightforward process overall,
since maintaining existing muscle mass is far easier to do in comparison to
building new muscle, as is maintaining a given body fat percentage in comparison
to leaning down further.
On the nutritional side of things, the only real adjustment that needs to be made
is moving your calorie intake back to your maintenance level. You’ll no longer
require a surplus for muscle growth or a deficit for fat loss, and as long as you
continue to meet your approximate macronutrient needs for the day and week
(the most important factors being that you simply hit your minimums for protein
and fat), eating at maintenance will keep your body composition intact as is.
Whether you’re coming off of a cutting phase or a bulking phase, just make sure
to re-enter your stats into the calorie maintenance calculator in chapter 3 (or use
one of the other methods described in the previous two sections) and go back to
eating at that particular level. Remember that your maintenance calories will
probably shift slightly once your intake is re-adjusted (due to the metabolic
changes that occur when eating in a deficit or surplus), so just use that initial
calculation as a starting point and tweak it from there if necessary.
If your reason for switching to a maintenance plan is that you’re satisfied with the
overall level of muscularity and leanness you’ve achieved, chances are that you’ve
already put in quite a bit of work up to this point and will be experienced enough
to where tracking exact calories won’t even be necessary in the first place. You’ll
have likely gained enough knowledge of nutritional tracking from the previous
months (and probably years) of your fitness program and will know your body
well enough to where you can simply eat based on feel and just roughly estimate
things throughout the day.
However you choose to go about it though, eating at your approximate calorie
maintenance level and meeting your rough macronutrient needs is all there is to
it when it comes to basic physique maintenance.
On the training side of things, this is an area that can also be loosened up quite a
bit and where you won’t need to be as stringent with your exact workout protocol
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in terms of volume, frequency and general execution. The basic goal is to provide
just enough stimulus to incentivize your body to hold onto its existing muscle
mass, a task that is significantly easier to accomplish in comparison to
stimulating brand new gains.
Just how much overall workload is needed for this?
In the previous weight training chapter we had established a weekly volume
range of approximately 60-100 reps for larger muscle groups and 30-60 reps for
smaller muscle groups per week in order to maximize muscle hypertrophy. When
the goal is to train for maintenance only, roughly 70-80% of the bottom end of
each volume range should be sufficient as a minimum figure.
That would mean around 20-25 reps for small muscle groups per week (about 2-4
sets) and 40-50 reps (about 5-7 sets) for large muscle groups, hitting each muscle
directly at least once per week. If you want to perform slightly more than this just
to be fully on the safe side – or if you simply enjoy training for the additional
physical and mental benefits it provides beyond just building muscle – then that’s
of course fine as well.
How you specifically choose to lay this out during the week in terms of your
actual training split is mostly just a matter of personal preference. Since the
number of sets you’ll need to perform will be reasonably lower in comparison to a
fully optimized hypertrophy plan, it’s quite easy to fit everything in during the
week without having to plan out all of your workouts with precise detail.
For that reason, you can simply structure your weekly routine in whatever way
you enjoy most and that fits most conveniently with your schedule. Some viable
options would include a full body workout, upper/lower split or push/pull split
done 2 or 3 days per week, a legs/push/pull split done 3 days per week, or
virtually any other basic 3 day split as long as the minimum weekly volume
requirements are being met for each muscle. Or, if you prefer shorter weight
training sessions done more frequently, any basic 4 or 5 day workout split hitting
just 1 or 2 different muscle groups per session could be used as well.
As far as workout execution goes, you’ll want to continue performing each set
roughly 1-2 reps short of muscular failure to ensure that the training stimulus is
strong enough to ward off any potential muscle loss. However, you won’t need to
strive for strength progression on your exercises any longer and can instead just
focus on strength maintenance by utilizing the same loads on your lifts from week
to week.
Aside from these volume/frequency/intensity guidelines, the rest of your
workouts should remain the same in terms of basic exercise selection, rest
between sets, rep ranges etc. as outlined in the weight training chapter.
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INTRODUCTION
You’ve now learned everything you need to know in terms of proper training,
nutrition and supplementation to achieve your ultimate fitness goals, regardless
of where you are now or what your specific desired physique is. If you simply
follow everything as outlined in the previous chapters and remain consistent,
getting the results you’re after will be nothing more than a matter of time.
That said, if you want to achieve the very best progress possible in the absolute
shortest period, avoid unwanted plateaus and keep your overall drive and
motivation at its peak along the way, merely implementing your plan and then
“hoping for the best” is not enough. Just as a business owner would track their
financial gains/losses or an athlete would monitor their performance over time,
you should also be tracking the results of your fitness program from week to week
to get an objective look at how things are progressing.
This will ensure that you’re building muscle and burning fat in the fastest and
most efficient way, steering clear of certain key mistakes that might throw your
results off track (such as going too high or too low on calories or over/undertraining), and will help you identify specific areas of your program that require
adjustments.
While some people can do just fine by simply eye-balling the mirror and scale to
see how things are moving along, taking a slightly more detailed approach is
highly recommended if transforming your body and achieving a standout
physique is something you’re truly serious about. It doesn’t require a huge time
or energy investment on your part, and could very well make the difference
between success and failure over the long term.
In this chapter we’ll be discussing exactly how to track your progress during both
bulking and cutting phases, as well as how to adjust your training and nutrition
appropriately if your results plateau or you encounter a particular obstacle along
the way.
Whether your primary goal right now is to gain muscle or to lose fat, make sure to
read through both sections either way since there is some overlap between the
two and this will give you a complete understanding of how both processes work.
Let’s get started.
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TRACKING BULKING PROGRESS
If you’re eating in a calorie surplus with the primary goal of bulking up and
gaining muscle, objectively tracking your progress with reasonable accuracy will
ensure that you’re putting on mass at an optimal rate while keep body fat gains
minimized throughout the process.
While there are quite a few individual metrics that can be used for this, the two
most important factors being your changes in body weight and lifting strength.
To put it simply, if your weight on the scale and strength numbers in the gym are
both consistently increasing at the proper pace for the week and month, you’ll
know that your muscle building program is on the right track for the most part.
On the other hand, if these two factors are remaining stagnant, you can be
reasonably assured that you won’t be gaining muscle to any significant degree
and that certain adjustments need to be made to your program.
Additional progress tracking methods can be used to fine-tune things further
(including body measurements, progress photos and body fat percentage
readings), though these will usually fall into place on their own if your body
weight and strength are continually going up within the appropriate ranges.
Let’s now go into more detail by discussing how to implement each method
correctly and how to tweak your program depending on what kind of results
you’re obtaining.
Body Weight
As we covered in chapter two, an expected rate of overall weight gain for a
beginning muscle building trainee would be approximately half a pound per
week, or two pounds per month. Those with above average genetics may be able
to put on muscle at a slightly quicker pace, but three total pounds per month
should be considered the upper limit regardless of the individual. These are the
figures that should be aimed for during the first year of lifting, with the rate of
weight gain slowing down by approximately 50% for every year of proper training
and nutrition completed thereafter.
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To track your changes in body weight, you’ll want to weigh yourself on a digital
scale first thing in the morning each day. Make sure to do this right after waking
up and before eating, and ideally after using the washroom in order to keep the
readings as consistent as possible. Because your body weight can fluctuate quite a
bit from day to day depending on a variety of factors (such as water retention,
amount of food in your system, glycogen levels etc.) you’ll be best off to take your
average weight for the week as a whole and compare that to the previous weekly
average rather than getting overly focused on the readings between individual
days. You don’t necessarily have to weigh yourself every single day, but at least
once every 2-3 days would be recommended.
Since half a pound per week is a relatively small amount (and thus somewhat
difficult to precisely track in the short term), and because the weight increases
will get even smaller as you pass the one or two year mark of lifting, don’t expect
to be hitting these figures with 100% accuracy every single week. These
recommended ranges are simply intended as approximate ballpark figures and
are to be used in combination with the other methods we’ll be discussing to paint
an overall picture as to how things are progressing.
In any case, if you’re landing roughly around the appropriate weight gain figure
for the week and month, you’ll know that your current calorie intake is set at the
right level and that you have a proper surplus in place to support muscle growth.
If your body weight is increasing at a rate above the recommended level, this
would indicate that your daily calorie target is set too high (remember that all
calorie calculations are just estimates at the start and often need to be adjusted
slightly after they’re implemented), or that your calorie intake is set at the proper
level but you’re accidentally over-shooting it due to errors with your nutritional
tracking.
The first step in this situation would be to conduct an honest “dietary audit”. This
is where you’ll go through each day of eating in detail and precisely track every
single meal, snack and drink you’re consuming to see where you might be making
mistakes and what your true calorie intake is really set at. Many people
(especially beginners) end up consuming significantly more than they realize
once everything is tallied up for the day and week as a whole, and this can easily
add several hundred or more calories to what you thought was a much lower daily
amount.
If you have added everything up carefully and have confirmed that you are hitting
your calorie target accurately yet are still putting on weight at too quick a pace,
decrease your daily calories in increments of 100-150 once every 5-7 days until
your rate of weight gain falls back into the proper range. As we discussed earlier,
your body can only synthesize a limited amount of new lean muscle mass over
any given period, and the vast majority of body weight that is gained beyond the
prescribed weekly/monthly ranges will simply be stored as fat.
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Now, what if the opposite is happening and your body weight is increasing at a
rate below the recommended level, or is completely stagnant and isn’t increasing
at all? This would indicate that either your calorie intake is set too low and needs
to be increased, or you’re simply under-eating without realizing it by not tracking
your diet closely enough.
In the case that you’ve already been training for a consistent period and were
achieving ongoing weight increases which have now plateaued, this just means
that it’s time to add more calories to your existing intake. Remember that as you
gain more and more muscle over time, your calories will need to be continually
raised in order to maintain your newly built mass as well as to support further
gains.
In any event, the bottom line is that if your body weight has remained stagnant
for a 1-2 week period (or is still increasing but at an excessively slow space) – and
you’ve “audited” your diet to ensure that your actual calorie intake is in fact
meeting your intended daily target – you’ll need to bump up your calories by
adding in 100-150 every 5-7 days until the scale begins increasing at the
appropriate pace.
You may be tempted to rush the process and very quickly add in more calories in
order to start seeing faster gains, but it’s important that you remain patient and
only increase your intake at a gradual pace. Remember that any extra body fat
you put on will be stuck with you for the remainder of your bulking phase and
will only be lost once you shift into cutting, so going a bit slower rather than
faster is almost always the best approach.
In addition to increasing or decreasing your calorie intake in order to land on the
proper weekly weight gain figures, adjusting your overall activity level (in terms
of regular gym cardio or other physical activities you’re performing throughout
the week) is a viable option as well. Remember that total net energy balance
(calorie intake vs. calorie expenditure) is the ultimate bottom line when it comes
to weight gain/weight loss, and if you’re currently performing a very high amount
of additional activity (making it harder for you to achieve a net surplus) or a very
low amount (making it easier to eat in an excessive surplus), this is something
you can potentially modify as well.
For example, if your body weight isn’t going up and you’re currently performing
three cardio sessions per week in combination with several days of other active
hobbies, you could reduce some of that additional exercise to bring your net
energy balance back into the proper range for muscle growth. Or, if you’re
gaining fat at an excessive rate but are mostly sedentary outside of weight
training, adding in some extra cardio at the gym or other physical activity during
the week could be used to burn additional calories and reduce the size of your
total surplus.
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Adjusting your calorie intake will generally be the easiest method to track and
implement (since calculating how many calories are being burned through
exercise can be hard to judge accurately), but your overall activity level is
something that can be optionally modified as well, particularly if it’s falling on the
very high or low ends of the spectrum.
Strength Levels
That covers the body weight side of the progress tracking equation, with the other
primary factor to pay attention to being your gains (or lack of gains) in strength.
As we talked about in the previous weight training chapter, utilizing sufficient
training intensity and consistently adding more weight to the bar on your
exercises over time (progressive overload) forms the underlying foundation of
your entire weight training plan.
We won’t go into further detail on the value of progressive overload since we
already discussed it at length earlier, but the bottom line is that if your overall
performance in the gym isn’t improving on a continual basis, you can be rest
assured that you won’t be gaining a significant amount of new muscle mass
either.
This is why, along with monitoring the scale, your training logbook is another
critical progress tracking tool to pay very close attention to. By objectively
recording each of your workouts in terms of the exercises, weight, sets and reps
executed, you’ll be able to see firsthand how things are progressing over time and
if certain adjustments are required.
If you’re a beginner to intermediate trainee who has not yet reached the advanced
stages of lifting (at which point significant strength gains will become
increasingly harder to achieve), you should be expecting some form of strength
progression virtually every single week in the gym, whether that simply means
performing an extra rep or two with the same weight on a given exercise or
increasing the actual weight itself. If you’ve gone two full weeks without any
progression at all, something in your plan is definitely off and needs to be
modified.
What should you do in those situations where you can’t seem to improve the
weight or reps on your lifts despite your best efforts? While there are a wide
variety of factors that could potentially result in a strength plateau, it usually
boils down to three main possibilities.
The first possibility is that you need to increase your calorie intake slightly. Once
again, as you become increasingly muscular and stronger over time, your body
will require additional calories each day both to maintain your existing muscle
and to allow for further progress. Strength plateaus and body weight plateaus
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often go hand in hand, and this can usually be fixed relatively quickly with a
simple calorie increase using the same guidelines outlined above.
Proper macronutrient intake plays an important role here as well, so along with
ensuring that your total daily calories are on point, you should also double check
to see that your macro numbers (particularly protein) are all meeting their
minimum requirements.
The second possibility is that you aren’t training with sufficient intensity. If you
aren’t pushing yourself hard enough by training 1-2 reps short of muscular failure
on the majority of your sets, you won’t be providing your body with a strong
enough incentive to increase its muscle size and strength levels further. If your
performance in the gym isn’t steadily going up over time, examine your overall
workout execution and be honest with yourself, as you may find that you’re
leaving a bit more energy in the tank on each set than you really should be.
The third possibility is that you aren’t recovering properly in between workouts.
Training with weights in the gym is what initially stimulates the muscle growth
and strength gains you’re after, but the actual adaptations themselves take place
while you’re out of the gym resting. If your training volume and/or frequency is
set at too high a level, or you’re including an excessive amount of additional
cardio and/or other strenuous physical activity throughout the week, you may be
hindering the recovery process without realizing it.
To ensure that your recovery is being fully optimized to allow for ongoing
progress, make sure you’re staying within the recommended volume and
frequency guidelines given in chapter four and that you’re following The Body
Transformation Blueprint Workouts as outlined without adding in unnecessary
extra work. Also ensure that you aren’t going overboard on total cardio exercise
(no more than 2-3 sessions per week), and that your sleeping habits are fully up
to par in terms of duration and quality since this is another area that will
influence your performance in the gym.
If every area of your training, nutrition and lifestyle seems to be otherwise on
point and your strength still isn’t going up, another option is to try cutting back
on your total training frequency to see if that helps. This would most likely be of
positive benefit if you’re currently following one of the higher frequency 4-5 day
per week training plans, in which case you could try cutting back from 5 workouts
per week to 4, or 4 workouts per week to 3.
You can also try slightly reducing your total sets per session so that you’re falling
more toward the lower end of the recommended weekly volume ranges for each
muscle. Every person is a bit different in terms of their recovery ability from
exercise and which specific volume guidelines will work best for them, so if you
aren’t seeing consistent strength progress despite executing everything correctly
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on paper, this is another area to experiment with as it’s possible that you’re just
performing too much overall work in general.
While there are always unique situations that require further examination and
fine-tuning, taking all of these factors into account should solve the vast majority
of strength plateaus.
Another situation that can sometimes arise is when consistent strength gains are
being achieved in the gym but there is no significant corresponding gain in
muscle mass. If progressive overload is the central training principle involved in
stimulating muscle growth, how would it be possible to be gaining strength on an
ongoing basis without any size?
The reason for this is that muscle hypertrophy (an increase in contractile proteins
that allows you to lift heavier weights) is not the only way that strength gains are
produced by the body. As we touched on earlier, there’s also a neural component
involved where the central nervous system becomes increasingly efficient at
recruiting motor units and making use of the existing muscle mass you already
have. If you’ve been consistently gaining strength but your muscle size isn’t
increasing, this is the primary adaptation that is taking place.
While this technically can be caused by errors with your workout plan, it’s almost
always an indication that you simply aren’t consuming enough calories to support
muscular hypertrophy. You’re making “neural gains” on your exercises that are
causing your strength to go up (this is especially common for beginners since
weight training is a new “skill” that their body is quickly becoming more
proficient at), but you’re not gaining the additional mass to go with it since you
don’t have the necessary calorie surplus in place to construct new muscle tissue.
If you find yourself in this situation, you can once again use the same calorieincreasing guidelines given above (100-150 extra daily calories added in once
every 5-7 days until your body weight begins increasing at the proper pace) to get
your intake up into a sufficient range for muscle growth.
Progress Photos / Measurements
Monitoring your changes in body weight and strength should be treated as the
main foundation of your progress tracking approach. If both of these metrics are
steadily improving at the proper rate, this is usually enough information to
effectively guide you when used in combination with the obvious method of
checking your overall appearance in the mirror. That said, two other progress
tracking tools you can use to assess things further are progress photos and
muscle measurements.
Since you'll be seeing yourself in the mirror every day, it may be hard to notice
the subtle physical changes that are taking place, not to mention that our own
perception of our appearance can often be skewed based on certain psychological
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factors. These two additional methods wouldn’t be considered as mandatory, but
if you’re highly serious about your results and want to get the most objective,
concrete picture as to how things are progressing, they certainly can be helpful in
providing some extra information. These methods will also allow you to compare
the development of each individual muscle group so that you can identify certain
weak points that may need improvement.
Progress photos should be taken once every 2-4 weeks, first thing in the morning
before eating or training, and with the conditions (such as lighting and distance
from the camera) kept the same each time. Include a shot from the front, side and
back, as well as pictures of yourself both flexed and unflexed. Not only is this
helpful in getting a firsthand look at how your physique is changing over time,
but it can also be quite motivating to be able to look back at your older pictures
from down the road to see just how far you’ve come.
Just keep in mind that your changes in appearance will be fairly subtle from week
to week, so if you’re using shorter time intervals between your photos, don’t be
discouraged if the gains aren’t overly dramatic from one set to the next. Building
muscle is a fairly slow and gradual process that requires time and patience, and
significant visual differences usually require several months to achieve.
In addition to taking progress photos, you can also use a measuring tape once
every 2-4 weeks to assess how all of your major muscle groups are progressing.
The areas you’d want to measure would be your chest, upper arm, forearm, neck,
waist, thigh and calf.
To minimize your margin for error and get the most accurate readings possible,
always take your measurements first thing in the morning unpumped and
unflexed, measuring around the largest part of each muscle. The upper arm is the
one area that is commonly measured in a flexed state (most people who share
their arm size online are using a flexed measurement), so whether you measure
yours flexed or unflexed is up to you.
There is no set guideline as to how many inches each muscle should increase by
over any given time frame, as there are simply too many factors to take into
account in order to give proper ranges for that. However, measurements can be
used to identify which muscles are making consistent gains and which ones may
be lagging behind, allowing you to potentially adjust your training if certain areas
are not responding.
In addition, by tracking your waistline relative to your other muscles groups,
measurements can also be useful as a general body fat monitoring tool. You’ll
always gain some fat while in a focused bulking phase, but if your waist
measurement is increasing at a disproportionate rate in comparison to your other
muscles, this would be a good indication that you’re putting on body fat too
quickly and need to adjust your calories or activity level slightly.
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Body Fat Percentage
Now that we’re on the subject of body fat, what about tracking your actual body
fat percentage to make sure that it’s remaining within reasonable limits as you
put on muscle?
While knowing your exact body fat percentage would certainly be a useful metric
for monitoring progress, the problem (as we discussed in chapter two) is that it’s
very difficult to obtain an accurate body fat reading with the current methods that
are used for this purpose. Those that do provide the most accurate readings (such
as DEXA scans) are fairly expensive and impractical for consistent use (not to
mention that they can still be off by several percent regardless), while cheaper
home methods are often very unreliable and can easily give you a reading well
above or below your true percentage.
Assuming your body weight is increasing within the appropriate weekly/monthly
range, strength levels are consistently going up in the gym, and your visual
appearance and waist measurements don’t indicate any obvious excess increase
in body fat, this is usually enough information to discern that overall fat gains are
being kept within a reasonable limit. Therefore, attempting to measure your exact
body fat percentage throughout your muscle building phase is usually not
necessary and isn’t something the majority of people will need to worry about.
That said, if you do want to be as detailed as possible with your tracking and if
staying lean during your bulk is of the utmost importance to you, you can
optionally include an approximate body fat reading once per week to go along
with your body weight. Don’t put too much stock in the objective number you’re
given (for example, you may very well get a reading of 19% when you’re in fact
closer to 14%, or vice versa) but instead just aim to get consistent measurements
and use those to track the relative increase over time. The readings will still not
be perfectly consistent in the same way that measuring your body weight will, but
you can simply use them to get a general idea as to how your body fat levels are
changing from week to week and month to month.
Since body fat percentages compare your total body fat mass to your lean body
mass, and since lean body mass just refers to any bodily substance that is not fat,
keep in mind that the amount of food and water in your system will also affect the
readings. This is why you should always take your body fat measurements first
thing in the morning before eating and after using the washroom, measuring
yourself under the exact same conditions each time.
The most commonly used home methods include body composition scales,
handheld BIA devices (bioelectrical impedance analysis) or calipers. Any one of
these is acceptable, though body fat calipers will usually give the most accurate
reading when used properly. Or, if you have the extra money available and want
to get the most precise measurement possible, the other option would be to
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DEXA scan but at a reduced frequency of perhaps every 1-2 months depending on
your financial situation and how important these readings are to you.
A variety of factors can come into play that will influence just how much body fat
you’ll gain during your bulk, but as a general guideline, a net increase of about
0.5-1% body fat per month would be a reasonable range to stay at or below and
would indicate that your bulk is being carried out successfully in terms of
minimizing fat gains. If you’re consistently gaining much more than about 1% per
month, your total calorie surplus is either too large or you’re not putting on lean
muscle at a sufficient rate due to one or more errors with your training and/or
nutrition approach.
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TRACKING CUTTING PROGRESS
When it comes to tracking your progress during a cutting phase, the same metrics
we covered in the previous section still apply but are simply utilized in a different
way with the primary goal of fat loss in mind. Your changes in body weight and
strength levels are still the main factors that will indicate how successfully (or
unsuccessfully) your cut is going, with progress photos, measurements and body
fat readings being used to provide additional information you can go by.
Let’s discuss how to apply each of these methods properly during your cutting
cycle in order to maximize your rate of fat loss while maintaining (or possibly
even gaining) lean mass at the same time.
Body Weight
As discussed in chapter two, an expected rate of weight loss during a cutting cycle
would be between 1-2 pounds per week, the vast majority of which will be in the
form of body fat if everything is being implemented correctly. An initial drop of 34 pounds per week may occur in the first week or two of your new diet as your
body flushes out excess water retention and food volume, but it should stabilize
somewhere around the 1-2 pound range after that.
Those who are significantly overweight may be able to lose fat a bit quicker at
around 3 pounds per week (at least in the beginning phases of their program),
though this will be a lot less common and only apply to a fairly small percentage
of individuals. 1-2 pounds should be set as the overall target for the majority of
people, and if you’re falling somewhere within this weekly range on a consistent
basis, you’ll know that your calorie intake is accurately set and that you’re
maintaining a proper deficit for fat loss.
On the other hand, if your body weight is decreasing at a rate below this level (or
isn’t decreasing at all), this would indicate that your calorie deficit is too small or
that you’re actually eating at your maintenance level without realizing it. This will
occur either because you’ve set your daily calorie target at too high an amount, or
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your calories are properly configured but you aren’t tracking your intake closely
enough and are unintentionally over-eating.
If you had been losing fat initially but have now hit a plateau, this means that you
need to drop your calories further (or increase your cardio frequency) in order to
stimulate additional fat loss. Remember that your body will continue to adapt as
you get leaner and leaner, and you’ll gradually need to adjust your intake and/or
expenditure to ensure that you’re maintaining a net deficit over time.
What should you do if the scale has slowed down (or stagnated altogether) for a 12 week period and you’re no longer losing fat within the recommended 1-2 pound
per week range?
As discussed in the previous section, a “dietary audit” is the first step you’ll want
to take here. This is especially important during a cutting phase, since the
increase in hunger you’ll experience (an inevitable part of the fat burning process
and something that should be expected to a certain degree) will make it far more
likely that you’ll unconsciously over-eat.
In the vast majority of cases, those who claim that they “can’t lose fat” despite
following a low calorie diet are actually consuming far more calories throughout
the week than they realize. If you truly sit down and go through your diet step by
step, accounting for every single food, drink, snack and “treat meal” you’re
consuming, you’ll likely find that you’ve been eating quite a bit more than you
had initially thought. When you consider that a typical deficit for fat loss is only
around 350-500 calories below maintenance per day, all it really takes is a few
simple mistakes in order for your calorie deficit to be significantly reduced or
erased altogether.
For example, as mentioned earlier, if your idea of “one tablespoon of peanut”
actually equals out to two tablespoons (this is a very common measuring error),
that’s 100 extra calories right there. Other items that get added into your plan
without much of a second thought can also add up quite a bit in the bigger picture
if you aren’t careful. An extra glass of fruit juice, a handful of almonds, cream and
sugar in your morning coffee, cooking oils or small high-calorie snacks added in
here and there - all of these small choices can easily end up making the difference
between consistent fat loss or complete stagnation once all the calories are taken
into account.
Also keep in mind that your bottom line results will be determined by your
average calorie intake for the week as a whole rather than in short windows of
individual days. For example, if you ate in a 500 calorie deficit from Monday to
Friday (a total of 2500 calories below maintenance), but then ate an extra 1000
calories above maintenance on both Saturday and Sunday, most of your deficit
will have gone to waste. Even if you only ate 600 calories above maintenance on
those days (a very easy thing to do if you’re in the mindset of “rewarding” yourself
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on the weekend), that would still cut your total net deficit for the week roughly in
half.
If after taking a closer look at your diet it does turn out that you weren’t hitting
your daily calorie target as accurately as you had thought, you’ll need to get a bit
more serious and tighten up your nutritional tracking to make sure that your
intake is consistently landing at the proper level each day. Start weighing out
your foods with a scale to confirm that all of the measurements are being done
correctly, and ensure that every single food and drink item is being accounted for
throughout the day and week without skipping over anything.
If you find that your calorie intake really has been matching your intended daily
target and you’re still not losing fat at the appropriate rate, this just means that
your actual calorie target itself is too high and that it doesn’t represent a true
calorie deficit. To get down into the proper range for fat loss, gradually decrease
your daily intake in increments of 100-150 calories once every 5-7 days until
you’re consistently landing in that 1-2 pound per week range. If your weight
plateaus again in the future, apply this same process again.
In addition to decreasing your calorie intake, another option is to increase your
calorie expenditure. Remember that fat loss ultimately comes down to your net
energy intake versus net energy expenditure in the overall picture, and
performing some additional activity throughout the week is another route you
can take to increase your calorie deficit further. This would particularly apply if
you’re currently on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of cardio frequency, or
if you just live a fairly sedentary lifestyle outside of the gym in general. For
example, one more cardio session per week and a bit of extra walking on your off
days could provide the additional boost needed to get you back into a sufficient
net deficit.
Another option is to combine both of these variables together by slightly reducing
your calorie intake and slightly increasing your activity level at the same time. For
example, 100 fewer calories eaten per day and one additional cardio session
performed per week.
Given that it requires a greater time and energy investment to actively burn more
calories through exercise as opposed to just eating a bit less, reducing your
calorie intake is usually the simplest and most efficient way to go if your fat loss
has stalled. However, if you’ve a hit point where you don’t want to drop your food
intake any further (this would particularly apply if you’re in the later stages of a
cut and are already eating at a fairly low calorie level), you can go ahead and
create the additional deficit through exercise instead.
On that note, do keep in mind that as you reach the low end of the spectrum in
terms of body fat (around 10% for men and 17% for women), stimulating further
fat loss will become much more difficult at that point. Hunger levels will rise
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significantly and energy loss will become increasingly pronounced as your body
fights to hold onto its remaining fat stores, and you’ll need to seriously buckle
down and be exceptionally diligent with your training and nutrition if you’re
looking to get increasingly leaner.
Aside from potentially bumping up the frequency of your refeed days and diet
breaks (this will help to offset some of the appetite increase and drop in
energy/strength levels), there aren’t any special “secrets” to losing additional
body fat at that point other than just continuing to adjust your calorie intake and
expenditure to create a further deficit. The basic law of calories in versus calories
out still applies, the only difference being that it will be much more challenging to
apply the leaner you try to get.
This is why, as we covered in chapter two, unless it’s for a temporary event (such
as a competition, photoshoot, special event etc.), cutting below 10% body fat for
men and 17% for women isn’t recommended in most cases. It won’t be
sustainable for the vast majority of people (aside from a small percentage of
genetic outliers) and is ultimately counterproductive to overall health and wellbeing when maintained over the longer term.
Now, what if rather than losing body weight at too slow a pace, you’re actually
losing it at too quick a pace?
While this technically could happen in certain cases, it will be a lot less common
since the increased hunger levels that result from your calorie deficit will
naturally drive you to eat more food if you do begin to fall to an excessively low
intake. However, if you’ve simply been “fighting through” the hunger and have
found that you are dropping body weight at a level above the recommended
ranges, this means your overall calorie deficit is too large and needs to be
decreased slightly.
This can be accomplished by either increasing your calorie intake (adding 100150 calories back in once every 5-7 days until your rate of weight loss slows down
to the proper level), decreasing your calorie expenditure (reducing your cardio
frequency or other physical activities throughout the week), or a combination of
both.
Keep in mind though that if you do feel otherwise okay in terms of your energy,
mood and appetite – or if you are experiencing a noticeable downswing in these
areas but are willing to go ahead and “tough it out” in order to lose fat at an
increased rate – there’s nothing inherently wrong with utilizing a slightly more
aggressive calorie deficit over the short term as long as your performance in the
gym isn’t decreasing. For that reason, the above point only applies to those who
have unintentionally set their calories too low (or activity level too high) and are
experiencing negative side effects that they’d like to eliminate.
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That brings us to the next topic, which is what to do if you are losing weight
within the recommended 1-2 pound per week range but are still experiencing
significant levels of hunger regardless.
Before going further, it’s important to understand that some level of background
hunger during certain periods of the day is a completely normal part of the
cutting process and can’t be eliminated entirely. It required a consistent calorie
surplus in order to put the excess fat on in the first place, and maintaining a
consistent calorie deficit (which will always be accompanied by an appetite
increase) is the only real way to get rid of it. However, if your hunger and cravings
are kicking in to an excessive degree to where it’s interfering with regular day to
day tasks and is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, there are a few steps
you can take to reduce it down to a more manageable level.
First off, if you’ve been consistently losing fat toward the higher end of the
recommend weekly range, the simplest option is to just reduce the size of your
overall deficit and aim for the lower end closer to one pound per week. While
losing fat at a faster pace is obviously desirable whenever possible, it won’t do you
any good if you can’t maintain your program over the longer term due to
excessive hunger. Losing only one pound per week may not sound like a lot on
paper, but that still equates to a very reasonable amount of 12 pounds over a 3
month period and 24 pounds over a 6 month period.
If you have been averaging approximately one pound per week and hunger is still
an issue for you, the next thing to do is double check your macronutrient intake
to ensure that you aren’t going too low on any particular one, especially protein.
Protein is the most satiating of the three macronutrients, and allowing your daily
intake to drop below 0.8-1 gram per pound of body weight can cause hunger
levels to spike while also encouraging muscle and strength loss at the same time.
Another area to look at is your fiber intake. Fiber absorbs water as it moves
through your digestive tract and slows down gastric emptying (the rate at which
food is moved from the stomach to the small intestine) which increases feelings
of fullness. You should ideally aim for at least 14 grams of fiber for every 1000
calories eaten, and during a cutting phase this can be bumped up even higher to
help further reduce hunger levels. Increasing your vegetable intake is a great way
of accomplishing this, since they’re not only high in dietary fiber but also very low
in calories relative to their volume. This is especially true if you go with the nonstarchy varieties which often contain as little as 100 calories per pound.
Consuming vegetables with some (or all) of your meals throughout the day is a
great way to fill yourself up while keeping the total calorie content minimized.
Besides consuming more vegetables, basing your diet around low calorie density
foods is something you should be striving for in general (examples include lean
proteins, fruits, whole grains, rice, oats, legumes, low-fat dairy etc.), since the
more total food volume you can consume at the same calorie level, the more
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satiated you’ll feel. Don’t forget to pay attention to your water intake as well, as
having a glass before, during and after meals and regularly throughout the day
can also help to increase overall feelings of fullness.
Beyond your total calories, macronutrient breakdown, specific food choices and
water intake, another variable you can experiment with is your meal frequency
and meal timing structure to see which particular layout regulates your appetite
most effectively. For some people that might mean 5-6 small meals, for others it
might mean 4 medium sized meals, while others may prefer 2-3 larger meals. In
addition, some people do best by consuming a larger percentage of their calories
earlier on in the day with fewer calories consumed later, while some have greater
success doing the exact opposite.
As a slightly more “advanced” option, you could also consider trying out an
intermittent fasting style approach (no food for the first 6-8 hours of the day
followed by an 8 hour “feeding window” where all calories are consumed), as a
certain percentage of dieters find this type of eating structure to be particularly
effective for moderating hunger levels. As we discussed in the nutrition chapter,
differing meal frequencies won’t affect your bottom line rate of fat loss if the total
calories for the day are equal, so play around with some different layouts to see
which one works best for you.
Incorporating regular refeed days (eating at your calorie maintenance level once
every 1-2 weeks) and diet breaks (eating at maintenance for a full 1-2 week period
for every 1-3 months of consistent dieting) can be helpful for regulating appetite
as well by periodically re-elevating levels of leptin, a key hormone involved in
decreasing hunger.
Bringing the training side of things into the equation, another important step in
controlling appetite is to work on finding the proper balance for yourself between
achieving your calorie deficit through reduced food intake versus increased
energy expenditure. Both of these variables (eating fewer calories or performing
more exercise) will stimulate hunger to a certain degree, but everyone reacts a bit
differently to each one. Some people are able to manage hunger more effectively
by creating a larger calorie deficit through their diet and performing less activity,
while others prefer to consume more calories from their diet but perform a higher
amount of activity. If you’ve been having trouble getting your appetite down to a
sustainable level, experiment with both approaches to see which one feels best for
you.
Lastly, make sure you’re getting a proper sleep each night. Not only does chronic
sleep deprivation negatively impact your mental focus, physical strength, energy
levels and motivation, but it also boosts your appetite as well due to increased
levels of ghrelin (a hormone produced in the stomach that stimulates hunger)
and decreased leptin.
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We’ve now gone over what to do if you’re losing body weight too quickly or too
slowly during your cut and how to apply the appropriate steps to fix either
situation. One final scenario that may arise is when your weight is decreasing at
what seems like an excessively slow pace, yet you’re clearly seeing significant
improvements in body composition from week to week regardless. Perhaps you’re
only losing half a pound per week on the scale, but your waist measurement is
consistently decreasing, your clothes are fitting more favorably and you can
obviously see in the mirror and in progress pictures that you’re getting leaner
from week to week.
If you’re clearly losing body fat but it isn’t being reflected on the scale, this most
likely indicates a successful recomposition where you’re both losing fat and
gaining muscle at the same time. Your body is breaking down its fat stores
(causing you to become progressively leaner) but is using those calories to build
additional muscle mass, in which case your overall body weight won’t change to
as significant a degree as someone who is primarily just losing body fat alone.
This is the most favorable situation for a fat loss trainee to be in, and your best
bet here is to simply leave your nutrition and training in place as is, utilize the
other progress tracking methods below to gauge your results, and only adjust
your calories or cardio frequency if those other metrics begin to plateau.
Strength Levels
Although the main concern during a cutting phase is of course to lose body fat,
maintaining lean muscle mass (or potentially even gaining some) should also be
placed as a primary concern. The single best way to determine if you’re doing this
successfully is to monitor your changes in strength throughout your fat loss cycle.
To put it simply, if your strength numbers in the gym are continuing to increase
from week to week (or at the very least are staying the same) and you’re
consuming sufficient protein each day, you can be reasonably assured that the
vast majority (if not all) of your weight loss is coming in the form of body fat and
that your lean muscle mass is being left intact. You usually won’t gain strength to
the same degree while eating in a calorie deficit in comparison to a surplus, but
you should still be aiming for progressive overload as best you can throughout
your cutting phase nonetheless.
Strength loss should only occur during more prolonged fat loss cycles where a
large amount of body weight is being lost and/or where you’ll be cutting to a very
lean body fat percentage. Even then, the reduction still shouldn’t fall much
beyond a couple reps for smaller isolation lifts and a very slight reduction in
weight on larger compound movements.
Just as your training logbook should be used as a primary progress tracking tool
while bulking, it should also be treated with the same level of importance while
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cutting. You should continue recording all of your exercises, weights, sets and
reps for each session, and then strive to improve upon those numbers whenever
possible, or at least maintain them as a minimum. If you find that your strength
is noticeably dropping throughout your cut and you’re feeling excessively
rundown and fatigued during your workouts, this would indicate that at least one
of several potential factors in your program is out of balance and needs to be
corrected.
The most common cause of strength loss while cutting is an excessively low
calorie intake. You obviously need to maintain a calorie deficit in order to drop
body fat, but going too low can start to work against you by negatively impacting
recovery and preventing your body from getting the energy and nutrients needed
for optimal workout performance. If you’ve been unable to maintain your
strength levels despite continuing to train with adequate intensity, volume and
frequency, take a look at your daily calorie intake and week to week rate of weight
loss to determine if you require a slight increase.
Assuming your calorie intake is set at the right level, the next thing to consider is
your daily protein, carbohydrate and fat breakdown to ensure that they’re all
landing roughly around the proper levels. You don’t need to obsess over every
single gram you’re consuming at all times, but a significant imbalance between
them can definitely have a negative effect on your strength levels if you aren’t
careful. Going too low on protein can impair recovery in between training
sessions, cutting carbs to an excessive level can decrease workout performance,
and dropping fat intake too far can cause testosterone levels to fall with it, further
affecting recovery and potentially accelerating muscle and strength loss.
Your daily macronutrient breakdown doesn’t need to be perfect, but during a
focused cutting phase it does become more important to monitor since you’ll
have fewer total calories to work with and the chances that you’ll under-consume
one or more of them will increase.
On the training end of things, another common cause of strength loss during a
cut is performing an excessive amount of cardio throughout the week. While a
moderate amount of cardio can certainly be a useful addition to a well rounded
fat loss plan, performing too much can quickly backfire and begin interfering
with weight training performance. Keep in mind that your recovery resources will
already be limited due to being in a calorie deficit, and you don’t want to
exacerbate this further by performing large amounts of unnecessary cardio on top
of an already intensive weekly weight training plan.
Make sure to follow the cardio guidelines given in chapter five by starting off with
no more than three cardio sessions per week, optionally increasing the frequency
later on only if your fat loss stalls as you get deeper into your cut. Also keep in
mind that this applies both to regular gym cardio as well as any other physically
strenuous activities you might be including during the week such as sports, active
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hobbies or a physically strenuous job, as all of these forms of exercise will
ultimately burn calories and affect recovery to a certain degree.
If increasing your calorie intake, dialing in your macronutrients more closely,
reducing your cardio frequency and moderating your overall activity level outside
of the gym doesn’t seem to be helping (and the rest of your training and nutrition
is otherwise on point), the last step you can follow is to reduce your overall
weight training volume and/or frequency for the week.
Since your body has fewer calories available during a cut to facilitate recovery (as
well as less fuel to get through your workouts), performing too many total sets
can begin to have a slight counterproductive effect, especially as you cut to lower
and lower levels of body fat. Once again, this can be done by lowering your
training frequency (for example, going from 5 weekly workouts down to 4, or 4
down to 3) and/or by reducing your total rep volume so that it falls on the lowest
end of the recommended weekly ranges for each muscle.
As a final note, you should also take a look at your nightly sleeping habits since
this is another area that can affect strength levels in the gym if the duration or
quality is being compromised for some reason.
Progress Photos / Measurements
As we covered in the previous section, you can fine-tune your progress tracking
approach a bit further by also taking regular photos and measurements to get
some additional information as to how your cut is progressing. Photos and
measurements become increasingly important in the case of a recomposition
since they’ll allow you to see firsthand how your levels of leanness and
muscularity are changing despite the fact that your body weight may only be
decreasing at a marginal pace.
If your waist measurement is consistently going down and you’re clearly looking
leaner and more defined in your pictures from week to week, your cut is most
likely being carried out successfully regardless of the specific number on the
scale. In this case, you can simply continue on at the same calorie intake and
cardio frequency, only adjusting them later on if your waist measurement or
visual appearance clearly begin to plateau.
Body Fat Percentage
The main reason why you’d want to track your body fat percentage during a cut is
to ensure that the majority of your weight loss is coming in the form of body fat
rather than lean muscle. However, this can usually be determined fairly easily
without specifically needing to measure your precise body fat level.
If you’re losing overall body weight within the recommended weekly range,
strength levels are increasing (or at least being maintained), sufficient daily
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protein is being consumed, and your waist measurement is consistently going
down, this is usually enough information on its own to indicate that you’re
primarily burning fat and are not losing muscle. Thus, trying to track your exact
body fat percentage for this purpose generally won’t be necessary.
The other situation where knowing your body fat percentage would be useful is to
help you determine when you’ve reached a low enough level to shift into a
bulking phase. As we discussed previously though, most of the devices that are
used to measure body fat have a fairly significant margin for error and can often
be incorrect by as much as 5% or more. If you have a consistent body fat testing
method available to measure the relative decreases over time (whether it’s
calipers, scales, handheld devices or a more involved method such as DEXA) then
that can optionally be included as an additional progress tracking metric, but you
shouldn’t be relying on the readings as absolute figures.
For example, if you decide to shift into a bulking phase because your scale
indicates that you’ve reached 12% body fat, this could legitimately throw your
program off track if the scale has under-estimated your true percentage and
you’re in fact closer to, say, 16%. So, just use the body fat readings as a way of
providing a bit of additional insight into your overall progress, with an
approximate expected rate of fat loss landing somewhere around 1% body fat
every 1-2 weeks depending on the size of your calorie deficit.
However, the final verdict on whether you should continue cutting, maintain your
current physique or shift into a bulk should ultimately come down to your own
estimation based on visual appearance in the mirror, in combination with how
you look and feel at various levels of leanness.
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IDEAL MEASUREMENT GOALS
We’ve now covered all of the guidelines needed to properly assess your bulking
and cutting progress and to accurately adjust your plan over time for consistent
long term results. Tracking your changes in body weight, strength,
measurements, visual appearance, and (optionally) body fat percentage will
ensure that you’re achieving results to your full potential without leaving
anything to chance.
There’s one very important thing to keep in mind though as you begin concretely
monitoring your stats on paper, which is that all forms of physique measurement
are relative only to each individual trainee. In other words, there is no such thing
as one set of “ideal numbers” to aim for that should be applied across the board
to everyone.
We touched on this briefly in chapter two, but always remember that different
body weights and muscle measurements can appear very differently from person
to person depending on a wide variety of factors such as height, limb length,
muscle shape and bone structure. For that reason, the progress tracking methods
previously outlined should only be used as a way of monitoring your own
individual body composition improvements rather than using them as a tool for
comparing yourself to others.
For example, a smaller framed 5’6 individual could very well appear just as strong
and muscular at a body weight of 170 pounds in comparison to someone at 6’4
who is 50 pounds heavier. Overall muscularity is a highly subjective visual thing
rather than being based on any particular number on the scale, and the “ideal
bodyweight” for you will be specific to your own body structure only.
Another significant contributing factor when it comes to body weight and
measurement comparisons between any two people is their differences in body
fat levels. Despite being objectively “smaller”, leaner individuals will usually
appear bigger and more muscular when shirtless or in a tank top since the added
definition will create the illusion of more size. On the flip side, someone who
chooses to remain at a more moderate body fat level will lose that definition when
shirtless but will appear fuller and more muscular when clothed.
It would make no sense, then, for a trainee at a body fat of 10% to be comparing
their arm size to someone at 15%. The individual at 10% may have an upper arm
that is a full inch or more smaller, yet still appear just as big (or bigger) due to the
added definition. Even if he does appear smaller, this isn’t necessarily a negative
thing anyway since it really just depends on what type of look that specific person
is going for. Some are wanting to achieve a leaner and more “aesthetic” looking
physique, while others would rather go for a fuller and thicker type of appearance
at the expense of added body fat. Neither look is “better” or “worse”; it’s just a
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matter of preference as to what type of body you aspire to and what you feel suits
you best.
On top of all of this, also keep in mind that different body fat percentages can
appear differently between any two individuals depending on factors such as
their levels of muscle mass, body fat distribution, water retention and vascularity.
One person might look very lean and dry at 12% body fat, while another at that
same level might not look nearly as defined.
The key takeaway from all of this is that the appearance of overall muscularity
and leanness ultimately comes down to how you look in the mirror based on your
own personal goals, rather than being based on any one set of concrete numbers.
150 pounds of body weight versus 170 pounds or 190 pounds could all produce
the same type of look depending on one’s individual body structure, as could 12%
body fat versus 15% or 15 inch arms versus 17 inches.
Not only is getting overly hung up on your precise measurements unnecessary,
but it can even have a direct counterproductive effect if you start “chasing”
certain numbers simply because they happen to look impressive on paper. For
example, weighing 200 pounds with 17 inch arms might sound like a great
achievement for a natural bodybuilder, but the reality is that not everyone will be
able to reach those numbers while staying relatively lean at the same time.
A larger framed 6’3 individual may be able to achieve those stats and remain in
the 12-14% body fat range since they have more total size to work with, whereas
someone at 5’9 might need to climb up to as high as 18-20% body fat or more in
order to carry that much total mass. If the latter individual attempts to achieve
those numbers despite the fact that their specific body structure doesn’t really
allow for it, they’ll likely end up going way overboard on total calories trying to
get there and ultimately produce a physique that doesn’t fall in line with how they
truly want to look.
This same idea could be applied to body fat percentages as well. For example, if
for some reason you’ve become fixated on the idea of reaching 8% body fat, it
may push you to excessively restrict calories and lean down to an unnecessarily
low level even if 10% or 12% has already produced a physique you would have
otherwise been satisfied with.
Getting too caught up in the “comparison game” as you scroll through your
YouTube or Instagram feed can also throw you off mentally, especially if you’re
trying to stack yourself up against others who haven’t taken their measurements
accurately or are simply exaggerating them for the purposes of self promotion.
Your favorite YouTuber might claim to have “18 inch arms” or be sitting at 7%
body fat, when in reality their true measurements may actually be nowhere near
those figures. This is an extremely common thing nowadays, so it’s usually best to
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take any reported measurements online with a grain of salt rather than just
taking them at face value.
Let’s also not forget the fact that most of the fitness images seen on social media
platforms are usually fully “optimized” and don’t necessarily represent how that
individual looks on a normal day to day basis anyway. Pictures are typically taken
under the most favorable lighting (this makes a huge difference in accentuating
muscle definition) in a “pumped” state, along with using the very best poses and
angles, showcasing only the very best photo among many that were taken. For
these reasons, it’s better to think of these photos as simply being a “highlight
reel” rather than something you should be expected to live up to all the time in
the real world.
Many photos are enhanced even further through the use of filters and other
editing tricks, while some are even blatantly photoshopped to increase the size of
certain muscles or decrease waist size. If that wasn’t enough, many of the online
fitness figures who claim to be “100% natural” are not being fully transparent in
that department either, giving them a significant muscle building and fat burning
advantage as a result of certain substances they may be using.
Social media platforms can be a great source of informative content and
motivation when used consciously and in moderation, but using them as a way of
comparing yourself to others will usually work against you in the long run for the
reasons given above.
The only situation where these sorts of “measurement comparisons” would be
useful is if you’re looking at an individual at roughly the same height, body
structure and body fat percentage as yourself, and who is using photos that
clearly display their physique without excessive “enhancement” involved. In that
case, you could use their stats (assuming those stats are accurate) to get an
approximate idea as to what you’d need to aim for to achieve a similar look.
Beyond that, it’s best to just focus on your own goals and work on achieving
progress relative to your own body weight, measurements, body fat and desired
physique. The scale, measuring tape and camera are a great way to monitor your
fitness program from week to week and maximize your rate of progress, but in
terms of objectively comparing your physique to those around you, they generally
come up short in that area and should be used cautiously for that purpose.
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CLOSING WORDS
Congratulations on making your way through the complete Body Transformation
Blueprint manual. The fact that you’ve read through this entire guide from start
to finish shows firsthand that taking control of your body and health is something
you’re truly serious about and highly motivated to achieve.
You’re now fully equipped with all of the tools and information you need to turn
your fitness goals into a reality in the most effective, efficient and sustainable way
possible. You’ve learned exactly what to do (and what not to do) in the areas of
training, nutrition, supplementation and all of the smaller details in between, as
well as how to correctly track your progress and adjust your approach over time
for consistent long term results.
All that’s left now is to take everything covered in the previous chapters and
translate it into real life action both in and out of the gym. After all, knowledge on
its own is just one piece of the equation; it’s what you do with it that truly
matters.
This might seem obvious, yet is something so many muscle building and fat
burning hopefuls ultimately fail to follow through on. Perhaps they feel an initial
burst of motivation only to have it quickly fizzle out the moment things become
challenging and a particular obstacle is encountered, or they never truly get
started at all, constantly jumping from one book and program to the next, always
searching for the “next big thing” without ever committing to a structured routine
for any real length of time.
What they unfortunately fail to realize (or simply don’t want to accept) is that
there is no “next big thing” when it comes to achieving a great physique. There is
no top secret workout routine, revolutionary diet plan or miracle pill waiting just
around the corner that will somehow create a “fast-track” to the lean, strong and
muscular body they’re after. Hard and focused training in the gym, proper
nutritional habits and intelligent supplementation is the only true way to get
there, carried out patiently and consistently from week to week, month to month
and year to year. In the end, it simply comes down to putting in the work and
applying the principles covered throughout this guide over the long term.
If there does exist any such thing as a legitimate muscle building and fat burning
“breakthrough”, it is found only in your commitment to this process. It’s when
you finally put all of the lingering self doubt, excuses and procrastination aside,
fully accept the work that lies ahead, and decide once and for all that no matter
what your current situation is or how much time and effort may be involved, that
you will do what is necessary to achieve your goal regardless of what it takes. No
more second guessing or committing half way – this is about going all in and
making it happen, period.
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If you’re still a complete beginner who will be starting at this from the ground up
– or if you’ve tried to build muscle or lose fat in the past but eventually fell off
track and quit – then implementing all of the steps needed to achieve a
significant physique transformation may seem like a daunting task right now.
However, keep in mind once again that it’s always the beginning stage of a fitness
program that is the most challenging aspect by far. Adopting brand new daily
habits from scratch does require discipline and willpower to carry out, but
maintaining those habits once they’re already in place is a far easier task. Intense
training in the gym, accurate calorie/macro tracking and consistent
supplementation (along with all of the smaller details needed to keep your
program running smoothly) will probably feel a bit unnatural and tough to keep
up with at first, but all of these things will quickly transform into a mostly
automated routine if you just stick with them for a few weeks and months.
Nobody starts out with their fitness program feeling completely confident and
comfortable with everything involved, and it’s important to keep in mind that
even the most advanced and in-shape lifters you see at the gym all went through
this same initial learning curve as well. It’s easy to look at the finished product
and assume that every “fit person” whose physique you aspire to is in some
unique and unattainable class of their own, but they’re ultimately no different
from you and once began as a complete novice as well. They simply had a goal,
followed a process, and obtained a result. Follow that same process, and you’ll
obtain the same result. Building muscle and losing fat is a step by step science
that can be replicated by anyone willing to put in the effort, and given enough
time, patience and persistence, achieving your goal physique is a virtual
guarantee as long as you’re willing to stay the course.
This certainly doesn’t mean that it will be smooth-sailing all the way through,
however. It's essential to recognize up front that your fitness success will not
unfold in a linear fashion and will be filled with a variety of ups and downs,
victories and setbacks along the way. You’ll have good workouts and bad ones,
consistent periods of flawless nutrition followed by periods where you fall off
track, motivational highs and lows, and most likely an injury or two at certain
points that will have to be dealt with. This is simply the nature of the game for
anyone who decides to undertake it, and it’s critical to accept this right from the
start so that you don’t become discouraged when those roadblocks do pop up
throughout your journey. Many trainees make the mistake of viewing these
occurrences as “failures”, when in reality they’re just an inevitable part of the one
single path toward your goal. Consistency is obviously critical to your long term
success, but it’s best viewed from a bigger picture perspective with the
understanding that you’ll sometimes have to take one step backward in order to
take two forward.
What really matters is that, regardless of the circumstances that may arise, you
remember the commitment you made at the start, pick yourself back up, and
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continue taking right action regardless. Your emotional state will vary from day
to day, week to week and month to month, but the basic steps that must be taken
in order to achieve continual progress always remain constant. Getting to the gym
and staying on point with your diet is easy when you’re in a positive state, but
what truly separates those who succeed from those who fail in the long run is how
they conduct themselves when the “motivational high” just isn’t there.
The plain fact is that the muscle building and fat burning process will not be
enjoyable all of the time, and the majority of your results will simply be found in
the routine, mundane day to day tasks. It won’t be what you see in that hyped up,
flashy motivational video packed with dramatic training footage, background
music and inspirational quotes. It will be a matter of waking up each day and
going through the basic motions, ticking off all of the small training and nutrition
check boxes along the way, one exercise and one meal at a time. It’s not about
hitting huge homeruns out of the park, but rather about aiming for consistent
singles and then patiently allowing them to add up over time. Sometimes you’ll
be motivated and excited to put in the work – other times it will be the last thing
you’ll feel like doing – but the bottom line is that you just get it done regardless.
Yes, in some instances it will be appropriate to take time off from your regular
training and diet, such as in the case of an illness, injury, unexpected life event or
to simply give yourself a break every now and then. However, these situations
should be fairly infrequent overall, and more often than not, the various excuses
your mind may come up with to skip the gym or deviate from your eating plan are
exactly that: excuses. The natural inclination will always be to seek comfort and
take the path of least resistance, and it’s critical that you learn to recognize this
and rise above it for the sake of your greater goal. We all have days where we feel
tired, strapped for time or not in the mood, but these are rarely valid
justifications for avoiding the work that needs to be completed. If it’s truly
important to you, you’ll find a way.
On those days when the temptation to veer off course does feel particularly strong
and you’d like nothing more than to stay home and relax rather than hit the
weights, the best course of action is usually quite straightforward: go and do it
anyway. This may sound like overly simplistic advice, but one critical
understanding you’ll gain as you accumulate more experience is the fact that
action is not merely the result of motivation – it’s also the cause of it. In other
words, if you feel completely unmotivated to train but begin taking action in spite
of how you feel, the simple act of getting into the gym and beginning your session
will often be the very catalyst that causes you to feel increasingly motivated. This
then feeds back on itself as more motivation inspires further action, further
action inspires more motivation, and before you know it, you’re fully “in the
zone”, absorbed in the workout, and thanking yourself later on for having
completed it.
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Always remember that the state of mind you feel in the hours leading up to the
gym is not the same state of mind you’ll be in once you actually get there. Rather,
all of the small actions you take leading up to your workout, during your warmup
and through the first set or two of your session will gradually “shift” your state of
mind in a positive direction, so that when it comes time to perform the bulk of
the truly challenging work, you’ll already be in that motivated state you were
originally searching for. Most of the time, it’s the anticipation of discomfort that
is the real obstacle rather than the actual discomfort itself. Each workout is
ultimately broken down into individual exercises, individual sets and individual
reps, and the reality is that all you ever need to deal with is one single rep at a
time.
This same mindset can be applied on the nutritional side of things as well.
There’s no need to overwhelm yourself by worrying in advance about all of the
specific foods, calories and macros that will need to be consumed for the entire
week, month and year - muscle building and fat burning nutrition ultimately
takes place on a day by day and meal by meal basis, and all you really need to do
is focus on eating well for the current moment, allowing the natural momentum
of successive periods of proper nutrition to carry you forward over the longer
term.
In the end, despite any potential challenges that may arise as you press forward
throughout your fitness journey, you’ll undoubtedly discover that the results are
well worth the effort. Not only in terms of achieving your external goal of a lean,
strong and muscular physique, but also in terms of directly enjoying the process
itself. Training and nutrition should not be viewed as being merely a means to an
end; there are profound benefits to be found in them for exactly what they are.
The natural high produced from a hard-fought workout in the gym, the physical
and mental well-being that comes from consuming a healthy and nutritious diet,
the pride and satisfaction of watching your body (and mind) transform as a result
of your own dedication and perseverance – all of these things can be embraced
and appreciated in the moment regardless of whatever aesthetic results they
happen to produce.
Adopting the “fitness lifestyle” is about far more than just building muscle and
burning fat; it’s something that improves you for the better both inside and out
and has a permeating effect on all other areas. Once you truly dedicate yourself to
this for the long term and ultimately succeed in reaching your health and
physique goals, you’ll see that this same process can be used as a stepping stone
and applied to all aspects of life.
So, what are you waiting for?
All of the knowledge and power needed to make this change is right there inside
of you just waiting to be put to use, and there is no better time to start than now.
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The path to the brand new body and life you’ve been envisioning has been clearly
laid out step by step – all you have to do now is take the first one.
It doesn’t matter how much fat you have to lose, how much muscle you’re
wanting to build, or how much progress you’re looking to achieve when it comes
to improving your overall health and fitness, because where you start out is
irrelevant. It’s where you finish that truly counts, and once you embark on this
journey and watch the results gradually unfold, you’ll soon begin to realize that
you’re capable of far more than you had previously imagined.
I sincerely thank you for placing your trust in The Body Transformation
Blueprint, and I look forward to hearing about your success.
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RESOURCES
Official Website:
www.SeanNal.com
Connect With Me:
Recommended Supplements:
RealScience Athletics
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